Reconnaissance Survey of Prehistoric Archaeological Sites on Santa Rosa Island, Northwest Florida

Lloyd, Janet; Randall, Robert; Bense, Judith; Roberts, Nicholas; Shaw, Wayne

The purpose of this archaeological project was to relocate and evaluate the prehistoric sites on Santa Rosa Island (Figure 1) in the Santa Rosa and Ft. Pickens areas of Gulf Island National Seashore (GINS). The project was included in the National Park Service Visitors in the Park (VIP) Program through a course at The University of West Florida (UWF) taught byDr. Judith A. Bense.The field work and major report sections were done by students who received course credit for their efforts. Dr. Sense organized the project, directed the work, wrote several sections and edited the final report, and had the report prepared. There were nine previously recorded prehistoric archaeological sites in the two areas of GINS, all of which had been recordedprior to 1973 and and all of which had not been professionally re-visited in the intervening 11 years before this project. Each site was relocated, two radiocarbon dates were obtained from two shell middens on the island, and three new sites were discovered (Table 1). After a field evaluation of all 12 sites, only one appears to have survived the wind and water erosion to remain intact on the island. The other 12 sites appear to have been either wind deflated or water eroded. However, all sites contain useful and important information about the prehistoric lifeways on Santa Rosa Island.