Lake Hell 'n Blazes
Encyclopedia
Lake Hell 'n Blazes is on the upper reaches of the St. Johns River
in Brevard County, Florida
, United States, about ten miles southwest of Melbourne
. The name has been attributed to the words used by early 20th century boatman while trying to navigate through what are said to have been "floating islands".
An archaeological
site near the lake, known in the literature as Helen Blazes, was excavated in the 1950s. Stone artefacts
from Paleo-Indians (prior to 8000 BCE), the Archaic period (8000 BCE to 1000 BCE) and later cultures
were found at the site. The Paleo-Indian artefacts included Clovis point
s. Paleo-Indian and Archaic artefacts included tools made from chert
, which is not found locally and had to be imported from at least 100 miles away. The Paleo-Indian artefacts were found in the same kind of deposits as were similar artefacts in Melbourne (ten miles to the northeast) and Vero Beach (30 miles to the south of Melbourne), both of which also yielded human and pleistocene
animal fossils.
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
in Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521, making it the 10th most populous county in the state. Influenced by the presence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard...
, United States, about ten miles southwest of Melbourne
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
. The name has been attributed to the words used by early 20th century boatman while trying to navigate through what are said to have been "floating islands".
An archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
site near the lake, known in the literature as Helen Blazes, was excavated in the 1950s. Stone artefacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
from Paleo-Indians (prior to 8000 BCE), the Archaic period (8000 BCE to 1000 BCE) and later cultures
Archaeological culture
An archaeological culture is a recurring assemblage of artifacts from a specific time and place, which are thought to constitute the material culture remains of a particular past human society. The connection between the artifacts is based on archaeologists' understanding and interpretation and...
were found at the site. The Paleo-Indian artefacts included Clovis point
Clovis point
Clovis points are the characteristically-fluted projectile points associated with the North American Clovis culture. They date to the Paleoindian period around 13,500 years ago. Clovis fluted points are named after the city of Clovis, New Mexico, where examples were first found in 1929.At the right...
s. Paleo-Indian and Archaic artefacts included tools made from chert
Chert
Chert is a fine-grained silica-rich microcrystalline, cryptocrystalline or microfibrous sedimentary rock that may contain small fossils. It varies greatly in color , but most often manifests as gray, brown, grayish brown and light green to rusty red; its color is an expression of trace elements...
, which is not found locally and had to be imported from at least 100 miles away. The Paleo-Indian artefacts were found in the same kind of deposits as were similar artefacts in Melbourne (ten miles to the northeast) and Vero Beach (30 miles to the south of Melbourne), both of which also yielded human and pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
animal fossils.