Ortona Prehistoric Village

The remains of two linear canals connect the Ortona site with the Caloosahatchee River. One canal runs about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) southeast from the site to a natural waterway connecting to the river. The other canal runs southwest from the site about 3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to what was Lake Flirt on the old river bed (the Caloosahatchee River was canalized in the 20th century).[6] While the routes of the canals can be traced on old maps and aerial photos, they have been significantly altered and obscured by human actions in the 20th century.[7]

Early maps show an “Indian Trail” running from Fisheating Creek that crossed the wetlands east of Lake Flirt (and south of the Ortona site) at a ford. The Seminole Wars Fort Thompson was located at the rapids below (west of) Lake Flirt.[8]

The two canals were fed by a slough called Turkey Creek, which flowed towards the mounds from the north. The western canal (8GL4A) connected a small, round pond near the mounds to an arm of Lake Flirt called Cypress Branch. The eastern canal (8GL4B) started near the mounds but does not appear to have been connected to the pond. Wheeler speculates that the two canals may have been connected by Turkey Slough. A 1950 map based on aerial photos shows a short branch of the eastern canal connecting to a mound or group of mounds. Much of the eastern canal may have been re-dredged as a drainage canal during the 20th century.[9]

Measurements made in the 20th century indicate that the canals were about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) deep and 3 metres (9.8 ft) wide. The canals had flat bottoms and sloped sides, with spoil along their sides.[10] A surviving portion of the eastern canal that was about to be destroyed in a sand mining operation was examined in 1997 by archaeologists. Trenches were cut through the canal to determine its history. Examination of the soil profiles in the trenches revealed that the canal was originally 6.7 to 9.1 metres (22 to 30 ft) wide at the top and 4.6 to 6.1 metres (15 to 20 ft) wide at the bottom of the canal, and 1 to 1.2 metres (3.3 to 3.9 ft) deep. Radiocarbon dates from samples of organic material recovered from the trenches indicate that the canal may have been dug as much as 1,900 years ago. A sample from the lowest layer was 1,600 to 1,900 years old. Two other samples above the original bottom of the canal, presumably deposited on sediment that had accumulated in the canal, were 1,100 to 1,750 years old.[11]

Both canals slope from the area of the mounds to the river, dropping just over 1 foot (0.30 m) in every 1,000 feet (300 m). The slope was enough to maintain a flow of water through the canals without causing excessive erosion. Wheeler states that the canals were primarily for canoe traffic, although, as a secondary effect, they may have helped drain the area around the mounds. “The canals demonstrate a complex knowledge of local topography and hydraulic features.”[12]

The Ortona canals differ from other pre-historic canals in southwest Florida, as having had a flow induced by a drop in elevation. The Mud Lake, Snake Bight and Naples canals were at sea level, subject only to tidal flows. The Pine Island and Cape Coral canals were static canals, closed at both ends and at intermediate points. In addition, the Ortona Canals may have been used to bypass a marshy section of the Caloosahatchee watershed and bring canoe traffic between Lake Okeechobee and the lower Caloosahatchee to the Ortona site, while the other canals provided shortcuts that also avoided taking canoes into open, and possibly rough, water.[13]

On the east side of the site is a large mound (8GL5). Estimates of the size of the mound have varied over the years. In 1918 the mound was described as being 160 feet (49 m) by 130 feet (40 m), and 30 feet (9.1 m) tall. In 1948 the dimensions were given as 200 feet (61 m) by 200 feet (61 m), and 16 feet (4.9 m) tall, with part of the mound removed for road fill. By the 1990s the entire center of the mound had been removed, leaving a rim around the outside of the mound. Pits (presumably dug by "pot hunters") were reported in the mound as early as 1918, but there is no report of any human remains or artifacts being found in the mound.[14]

Mound A (8GL80) is on the east side of Turkey Creek. The mound is about 38 to 39 metres (125 to 128 ft) across and 2.5 metres (8.2 ft) tall. It is one of the best-preserved mounds at Ortona. The mound is a midden, with animal bones and human artifacts. The soil in the mound is noticeably darker than that of other mounds at the site.[14]

To the west of Turkey Creek is Mound B. Mound B was largely destroyed when it was mined for fill. Historical accounts and aerial photos indicate that the mound was 152 metres (499 ft) long, 21 metres (69 ft) wide and 5 feet (1.5 m) high. It has been described as being shaped like a loaf of bread. Test excavations on the remnants of the mound indicate that it was made primarily of sand, with some midden material mixed in.[15]

Mound C has also been largely destroyed by mining. It was originally about 30.3 metres (99 ft) in diameter and about 1 metre (3.3 ft) high. Shards were observed on the surface of the mound in 1974.[15]

Mound D was another "breadloaf-shaped" mound that was largely destroyed in the later 20th century. It was originally about 152 metres (499 ft) long, with a width that varied between 20 and 25 metres (66 and 82 ft). Stereoptic aerial photos from 1949 suggest that the mound had conical elevations at each end of the mound, but both ends have been leveled. One remaining segment of the mound has been bulldozed, but is still about .5 metres (1.6 ft) high. Robert Carr was present when the northern end of the mound was destroyed, and observed that the upper 1 metre (3.3 ft) of the mound contained organically-stained sand and pottery shards. A 16 metres (52 ft) wide ramp on the west side of the mound shows in mid-20th century aerial photos. A "causeway" appears to have connected the north end of Mound D to Mound C, which is east of Mound D.[16]