SALVAGING AN ABORIGINAL DUG-OUT CANOE, 

 CUMBERLAND ISLAND, GEORGIA 



By FRANK M. SETZLER 

 Assistant Curator, Division of Archeology, U. S. National Museum 



In February. 193-2, the writer went to Cumberland Island, Ga., for 

 the purpose of examining the newly discovered remains of a dug-out 

 canoe thought to be of prehistoric Indian manufacture. The old craft 

 had been found in 193 1 by C. McLendon, of Saint Marys, who de- 

 scribed his find to I. F. Arnow, a local historian. Mr. Arnow, recog- 

 nizing the importance of the dugout, reported it to Dr. J. R. Swanton 

 of the Bureau of American Ethnology, foremost authority on the 

 Indian tribes of the southeastern United States. 



Cumberland Island, the winter residence of Thomas M. Carnegie, is 

 situated off the southern coast of Georgia just north of Fernandino, 

 Fla. ; it is separated from the mainland by the Cumberland River, with 

 Saint Andrew Sound and the Satilla River on the north. The island, 

 about 20 miles long by 5 miles wide, has had its inherent, natural 

 beauty studiously preserved. The beach on the eastern side of the 

 island, beaten smooth and hard by the pounding surf, is generally 

 recognized as the finest along the eastern coast. Gulls, terns, and 

 sandpipers patrol the shore line, and within the deeper woods, deer and 

 wild turkeys, ducks, geese, and many land birds find a safe refuge on 

 this most hospitable island. 



Mr. Carnegie personally guided us to the site of the submerged 

 canoe. Only one end of the dugout was visible (fig. 57) ; the re- 

 mainder lay on its keel, buried under dun-colored sand. Close on one 

 side a small creek has carved its way into Cumberland Sound ; on 

 the other, alluvial deposits rise to a height of 6 feet. Undercutting of 

 this bank had exposed the visible portion of the canoe ; salt water had 

 preserved it throughout the passing centuries. Because of the tides 

 we could work only four hours at a time. Our initial effort brought to 

 light half of the canoe, but it was left /';/ situ with enough sand about 

 it to resist the pressure of the returning tide. Next day this 8-foot sec- 

 tion, the only salvageable portion, was wholly uncovered. The re- 

 maining section lay broken and twisted where it had sunk into a hole, 

 hopelessly crushed by pressure of the sand subsequently deposited 

 upon it. To all appearances, the dugout had been moored by its owner 



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