CERTAIN ABORIGINAL REMAINS OF THE NORTHWEST 

 FLORIDA COAST. 



Part I. 



By Clarence B. Moore. 



During the past ten seasons we have investigated aboriginal remains in the 

 southern United States and have devoted most of that period to Florida and to the 

 States that border it, Alabama and Georgia. By the outline map of Florida which 

 we give, showing the territory covered by our work in that State, it will be seen 

 that nearly all the waterways had been investigated by us, except the northwest 

 coast. Now, this portion of Florida should be of great interest arch geologic ally, 

 bordering, as it does, a section stretching across much of southern Georgia and 

 most of southern Alabama, and an investigation by us looking to the tracing of 

 possible influence from States where we have done so much work, on peninsular 

 Florida, which we know so well, through the coast-territory, seemed to be worth 

 our while. 



Beginning, then, in the winter of 1901, at Perdido bay, the coast-boundary 

 between Alabama and Florida (see map), we explored carefully eastward, including 

 Pensacola bay, Santa Rosa sound and Choctawhatchee bay. Our results, which 

 are largely based on the discovery of earthenware, are given in this part of our 

 Report. 



It is our hope, next year, if all goes well, carefully to cover St. Andrew's, and 

 St. Joseph's, bay, Apalachicola bay, St. George's sound, Apalachee bay and all the 

 lower northwest coast to Tampa, including, perhaps, parts of some of the rivers 

 that enter the Gulf along our route. 



The mounds of the section we have explored, we know from experience, and of 

 the territory we hope to visit, from reliable accounts, have been exposed to relent- 

 less attack by seekers for buried treasure. In no part of Florida is the pursuit of 

 this ignis fatuus so intense, and persons, otherwise sane, seemingly, spend consider- 

 able portions of their time with spade and divining rod in fruitless search. Fortu- 

 nately, the mounds, though injured, have not been destroyed. 



In the way of legitimate research, Mr. S. T. Walker in the Smithsonian Report 

 for 1883, 1 gives an account of his explorations along Pensacola bay, Santa Rosa 

 sound and Choctawhatchee bay, with maps and with figures of human and animal 

 1 Pg. 854, et seq. 



54 JOURN. A. N. S. PHILA., VOL. XI. 



