Dugout Canoes - exhibit here in Asheville

A lake near Gainesville, Florida...Newnans Lake, was the site of a hundred and one dugout canoes being found in the drought of 2000, by a high school class, no less. I found it interesting that the town of Gainesville was not mentioned anywhere in the exhibit.

Here's the short video introduction:

 Newnans Lake was known for boating and fishing, when I attended U Florida in the 80s (it's about 12 miles east of Gainesville.)  I never visited it.

Installation showing the discovery of dugout canoe

This was at the entrance to the exhibit which I toured at the Arboretum.

Centuries old dugout from a single pine (I think it was 16 feet long)

 The ages of these dugouts varied from 500 years old to 5000 years old.  Being wood, they could be carbon dated, but the were also very fragile, so many had to be kept in place until they could have polymer infused into the pores where water had sat for centuries.


Various paddles were also found.

The exhibit also shows other artifacts associated with trade in the early Americas (pre-Columbian) and some northwestern modern dugouts.  I'll share them later.

This exhibit is on display at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, NC until May 2, 2017.

Today's quote:

Becoming a better person is your choice and is a natural progression in your journey of self-awareness. Madisyn Taylor