Today we went to see Turtle Mound which we discovered was located in Canaveral National Seashore park. The park located on barrier island is home to many species of plants and birds. The park has the longest undeveloped stretch of beach (24 miles) on the east coast of the state. The north portion of the park is connected to the southern portion by the beach only and has no through road.
Turtle Mound consists of more than 33,000 cubic yards of oyster and other shells, and covers nearly two acres (8,100m2) This prehistoric mound stands nearly 50 feet high and was constructed by the Timucuan Indians as far back as 800 to 1,400 AD.
There was a wooden walkway leading to the summit of the mound and on our way up we encountered this vulture who held his ground until we got very close.
On our drive we stopped to see what remains of the once thriving town of Eldora. The town was settled around 1877 with the settlers clearing the land, installing cisterns and planting crops. Some of the crops included pineapple, citrus, olives and vegetables.
Two years of killing frost in 1890 destroyed most of the citrus industry causing many of the residents to leave and by the turn of the century almost all business on the island had ended.
A few of the remaining residents kept their homes as vacation homes for many years but eventually this too ceased.
The Eldora State house has been restored and is now a museum to offer an example of the homes during the era when Eldora was a thriving community.
We drove out as far as the road extends on the north portion of the park and stopped for a short walk on the beach. During and for 48 hours after a successful space launch this section of the park is closed to the public. NASSA positions its northern most tracking device in this area during launches.
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