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Historical
Museum of Southern Florida First Arrivals Southern Florida’s first inhabitants arrived here as early as twelve thousand years ago. They were descendants of populations that probably migrated to America from northeastern Asia, across a land bridge between Alaska and Siberia. Early peoples in southern Florida hunted mammoth, horse, bison, and other large animals. After the extinction of large game around 9000 B.C., people relied on small mammals, aquatic resources, and wild plants for food. Crucial to their survival was their ability to adapt to southern Florida’s diverse natural environments: a coastal ridge, wetlands, and the ocean. Over the centuries, Indian populations in southern Florida grew, and larger settlements developed. Pottery and tool production increased. Exchange networks were established with other cultures throughout the southeastern United States. By A.D. 1600, over 300 Indians lived at the mouth of the Miami River, while hundreds more were scattered throughout the Everglades, the coast, and offshore barrier islands. Artifacts uncovered by archaeologists in southern Florida, along with rare European accounts from the 16th - 18th centuries, are the only evidence we have of the region's earliest inhabitants. By studying this evidence, we can gain a sense of how these peoples developed cultures that enabled them to live in our unique environment for thousands of years. |