The native people who lived in the Everglades left plenty of evidence behind of their existence. This evidence truly showed the people knew how to manipulate the land and areas around them to ensure their survival as a people. Besides tools, mounds, and tree islands, the native created systems of canals. These canals show the engineering and organization skills these people practiced.
In the Everglades, the Mud Lake Canal is a 3.9-mile aboriginal canoe canal; it is 20 to 30 feet across in width and 1 to 2 feet deep. When in use, the native people used to canal for their canoe travels throughout the Everglades, Ten Thousand Islands, and the Florida Keys. This canal system allowed people to get around without having to travel through the rougher waters that can be found in the Gulf of Mexico.
The canal is considered unique as it connects different bodies of water at different elevations while stretching across all prairies and mangroves.
Mud Lake Canal has been carbon dated and it is believed to have been created in 750-1200 AD. This canal feeds into groups of mounds that were once part of a village where up to 50 people were living; it is believe these people were a Tesqueta village.
In 2006, the Mud Lake Canal became a National Historic Landmark.
The Everglades is full of sights and evidence of life well before modern civilization came to the area. If you enjoy viewing nature, as well as stepping back in time, explore the Everglades for yourself; the area has so much to offer! One of the easiest ways to get around and view the Everglades is through an airboat tour. On an airboat, you can get up-close views of the Everglades’ landscape and vegetation. If you’d like to explore the Everglades, book a trip with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours today at 800-368-0065 or click here.
