Camping at Crowley

Indian Field Primitive Camping Area

Guided camping available through Not a Clue Adventures.

Primitive camping is a wonderful way to observe wildlife at dawn and dusk.  Reservations required. Tent/ hammock camping only. We will continue to make improvements in the future. Planned are “gear poles” and fire rings for each site, Community Chickee and more!

To make a camping reservation please call Jeanene Arrington with Not a Clue Adventures 813-789-0904

We ask that all campers practice Leave No Trace at all times while on the Crowley property.

There are 10 primitive sites at this facility.

 

This camping area is named for Native Americans who settled here before us and is the site of an indian village long gone. Each of the sites carries the name of one of the 15 original Timuca settlements known to exist at the time of early European expeditions.

The Timucua, composed of at least 15 separate tribes sharing a common language. More is known about the Saturiwa than any other Timucuan group. They were encountered by the French in 1562 and immortalized in the drawings of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues. Each Timuicuan village had its own leader who was under the jurisdiction of a head chief who exacted tribute.

 

When European ships first landed on Florida in the 16th century, the area was well populated. Indians of the Timucua, Apalachee, Ais, Tekesta and Calusa were farming rich lands in the north — growing corn, beans and squash — and fishing or hunting for most of their food in the south.
Locations near reliable food sources with fresh water, comfortable microclimate and high, dry ground made good habitat for these Indians. Fresh and brackish bodies of water supplied steady sources of fish and shellfish, while fertile soils allowed farming to prosper.

 

Pontano Site – Neighboring the Apalachee to the east were the Timucua, composed of at least 15 separate tribes sharing a common language. More is known about the Saturiwa than any other Timucuan group. They were encountered by the French in 1562 and immortalized in the drawings of Jacques Le Moyne de Morgues. Each Timuicuan village had its own leader who was under the jurisdiction of a head chief who exacted tribute.

Apalachee Site – One of the most powerful and influential native groups of Florida was the Apalachee. At the time Europeans began arriving in America, the Apalachee controlled the fertile area near the Tallahassee hills between the Ochlockonee and Aucilla rivers. The fertile clay and loam soils of the hills supported the heaviest, most concentrated aboriginal population in the state.

Ocale Site – The general name Timucuan was used by the Spaniards for all the native peoples who occupied north Florida east of the territory of the Apalachee. The Timucua were composed of a number of autonomous provinces that were hostile to one another at time when the first Europeans arrived. Among the important divisions in mission times were the Saltwater Timucua (Saturiwa and Mocamo), Fresh Water, Potano, Utina and Yustaga. The Saturiwa Indians used the name Timucua, spelled thimogna, to designate specifically the Utina Indians living between the St. Johns and the Suwannee rivers. In the early 17th century, Spaniards also used the name in this restrictive sense.

 

Calusa Site – Less is known about the early Indians of South Florida. The best known group is the Calusa, whose vast domain was ruled by a single chief. Although lacking agriculture, the Calusa developed elaborate political, social and trade networks. They were also expert wood carvers, and the many ceremonial items recovered from a Calusa site on Key Marco display great artistic skill. The Calusa lived around Charlotte Harbor just north of present-day Naples and around the mouth of the Caloosahatchie River in South Florida.

Jeaga Site – Arguably the most complex pre-contact culture in South Florida existed inland, in the Lake Okeechobee basin. These people not only had a sophisticated political and social organization, but they also grew corn. Striking similarities between their form of maize horticulture and that originating in the savannas of northern South America. This has led some scholars to suggest that ancient people of South American migrated north to South Florida through the Antilles islands of the Caribbean.

 

Camping 101

CONCIERGE CAMPING WITH NOT A CLUE ADVENTURES
Camping newbie? In Camping 101 you will learn to camp from start to finish with Jeanene Arrington. Not a Clue Adventures will provide all the gear (including tents but not sleeping bags), set up the campsite, supply and prepare meals, and take you on adventures. Don’t miss this opportunity now on special offer for half price for November 16/17 or 17/18! $37.00 per participant (over 5 years old). Private bookings are available for scouting, social groups and birthday parties! For dates prices and reservations information please contact us!

 Are you part of a scout troop looking for a community project. Contact us, we have many projects in the works!