TALAHASSEE, FLORIDA—WHAS 11 reports that the Florida Division of Historical Resources has released more information on the 15-foot log vessel that washed up from the Indian River during Hurricane Irma. Radiocarbon dating of the wood indicates there is a 50 percent chance the tree used to make the canoe died or was cut down between 1640 and 1680, and a 37 percent chance it dates to between 1760 and 1818. “The canoe has some interesting features, like the presence of paint and wire nails, that indicate it may have been made in the nineteenth or twentieth century, so this adds to the mystery,” said Sarah Revell of the Florida Department of State. She explained that the canoe might have been made in the early twentieth century from an old log, or even crafted in the 1600 or 1700s, and then modified over time. After being discovered in September, the canoe was stored in a freshwater pond and then transported to a conservation laboratory, where it will be desalinized and any algae on the exterior will be removed. Then the vessel will be soaked in polyethylene glycol for strengthening. For more, go to “Florida History Springs Forth.”
