Florida Early History

First Early Inhabitants

Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of Florida. Learn about the history and culture of the first inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of Florida.

• 10,000-8500 BC - Paleo Indian
• 10,000 BC - Vero Man was discovered in 1915 and his age has been determined to be 10-12,000 years old..

Archaelogical finds indicate that Florida had been inhabited for many thousands of years prior to any European settlements.

People first reached Florida at least 12,000 years ago. The rich variety of environments in prehistoric Florida supported a large number of plants and animals. The animal population included most mammals that we know today. In addition, many other large mammals that are now extinct (such as the saber-tooth tiger, mastodon, giant armadillo, and camel) roamed the land.

The Florida coastline along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico was very different 12,000 years ago. The sea level was much lower than it is today. As a result, the Florida peninsula was more than twice as large as it is now. The people who inhabited Florida at that time were hunters and gatherers, who only rarely sought big game for food. Modern researchers think that their diet consisted of small animals, plants, nuts, and shellfish. These first Floridians settled in areas where a steady water supply, good stone resources for tool making, and firewood were available. Over the centuries, these native people developed complex cultures. During the period prior to contact with Europeans, native societies of the peninsula developed cultivated agriculture, traded with other groups in what is now the southeastern United States, and increased their social organization, reflected in large temple mounds and village complexes.