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+! • NPS10-900-a (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet OMS Approval No. 1024.0018 Section number __U-_ Page 4 Indian River Narrows Cultural Resource District Shellfish middens in the Indian Diver area tend to be formed primarily of oyster shell rather than coquina, which, if represented, exists merely as tenses within the larger matrix (Russo 1985). Of the meat resources available to the Malabar people of the Indian River region (fish, fowl, reptile, amphibian and mammal), it seems that about 80% of the total dietary meat was provided by fish and reptile species and only about 15% from land mammals, showing that the people were highly dependent on the resources of the Indian River and shore (Milanich 1994:251), By the late Malabar period (A.D, 800-1500), seasonal hunting and foraging forays still occurred but it seems that greater sedentism had developed, with major village centers near interior riverine and coastal estuarine resources. 'There has been no evidence to indicate that either agriculture or horticulture was practiced on any significant scale by the people of the Indian River region (Dickel 1992:29). Evidence also shows that the people of the Indian River region engaged in trade with other distant cultures as evidenced by ceramic, stone, and other artifacts and inferred from mound building activities. Contact/Early Historic Period (1500 - 1565) The first recorded, and officially sanctioned, Spanish voyage to the peninsula of Florida was by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513, landing in the vicinity of Melbourne Beach (Lyon 1999; Tebeau 1973:19; Milanich 1995;108). Other European explorers and sailors certainly visited Florida after word of Columbus' journeys disseminated through Europe, perhaps as early as 1497 by John Cabot or Amerigo Vespucci, but certainly by Spaniards between 1502- 1510 when it begins to appear in maps and records (Smith 1956:1). In fact, when Ponce de Leon reached Florida he encountered one Indian who spoke Spanish and the Spaniards' hostile reception by the natives seems to indicate that prior unauthorized Spanish slaving raids had periodically occurred (Smith 1956:2; McGoun 1'993:21; Tebcau 1973:19; Milanich 1995:109, 110). After Ponce de Leon's initial 1513 voyage along the east and west coasts of Florida, Spanish exploratory and slaving trips became common, though most of these voyages went to the Gulf Coast (Smith 1956:24). In 1516, following Ponce de Leon's "&.cuvery" oFfitainlaiid North America, a Spanish slaver frlarn Santo D0n1ing0, Pedro de Salazar', made a voyage up the Atlantic coast and captured 500 Indians --most of whom died on the return voyage or soon after landing (Milanich 1995:111). The effect of these early voyages on native cultures far exceeded the actual presence of the Europeans themselves, because they resulted in Spanish trade and salvage ,goods and brought diseases, which spread rapidly throughout Florida. By 1551, after several dccadcs of Spanish taxplui eis and settlers meeting with poor or disastrous results in their gxpeditions to Florida, the peninsula was officially closed to travel by roval procInmation in 1561. However, in 1562, with news of France"s attempts to establish a colony in La f lorida, the proclamation was rescinded (S'nith 1956:6). In 1562 Captain Jean Ribaut established Port Royal on Paris Island, now within South Carolina, and in 1564 Captain Ren6 de Laudonniere established Fort Caroline at the mouth of the St. Johns River. The first attempt in 1562 failed largely because of lack of supplies, poor planning and mutinous settlers. The 1564 colony was suppr;,ssed is a reg.+.ill cXSpnniSh allach:, by Pedro .lc Avilds in 156Z7' tLyon t d3; Armstrong 1995). Although most of the French colonists were captured and killed, a small group of survivors are known to have