Ancient canoe found on Indian River to be preserved, officials say

FLORIDA – Hurricane Irma uncovered a piece of history from the bottom of the Indian River was sent to the surface: a dugout canoe.

Officials from the Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Archeological Research in our Division of Historical Resources said they are working to preserve the canoe, which is estimated to weigh 600-700 pounds.

Randy Shots shared his discovery on Facebook with his friends.

"I got to it before it was picked up by the county with all the other storm debris and placed in a landfill. I'll certainly keep everyone updated on this progress, promise," he said in his Facebook post, according to ClickOrlando.com.

The Indian River is apart of the Sovereign Submerged Lands meaning all objects of intrinsic historical or archaeological value abandoned on state-owned lands are owned by the State with the title vested in the Division of Historical Resources, officials said.