One of the most interesting state parks in southwest Florida is on Mound Key. There you can see huge mounds, built entirely of shell, standing 30 feet tall.
For two-thousand years, Native Floridians harvested the abundant shellfish for food and building materials to make new dry land and tall mounds for their leaders. This exceptionally rich area supported the development of the powerful Calusa kingdom, which ruled south Florida from coast to coast.
This is not your typical state park. To visit the island of Mound Key requires that you take a boat to access to the island. There, along a self-guided and interpretive trail, you will find the mound that supported the Calusa king’s palace, which could hold over 2,000 people. You will also see artificial holding ponds, where live fish were stored to feed the population.
There’s no other place like Mound Key State Park in the United States. Deep in today’s jungle, the Calusa capital still stands and archaeologists are just now discovering its secrets.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
