This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2023) |
Mound Key Archaeological State Park / Mound Key Site | |
---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Lee County, Florida, USA |
Nearest city | Fort Myers Beach, Florida |
Coordinates | 26°25′20″N 81°51′55″W / 26.42222°N 81.86528°W |
Area | 113 acres (0.46 km2) |
Established | August 12, 1970 |
Governing body | Florida Department of Environmental Protection |
Mound Key Archaeological State Park is a Florida State Park, located in Estero Bay, near the mouth of the Estero River. One hundred and thirteen of the island's one hundred and twenty-five acres are managed by the park system. It is a complex of mounds and accumulated shell, fish bone, and pottery middens that rises more than 30 feet above the waters of the bay.
Mound Key was an important site of the Calusa tribe, and most experts believe it to be the site of their capital, Calos. The Mound Key Site on the island was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1970. The island is only accessible by boat from the Koreshan State Historic Site or Lovers Key State Park.