Caloosahatchee

The Caloosahatchee country lies among the marshes and flatwoods of southern Florida, between the Lake Okeechobee basin and the Gulf coast. The river takes its name from the Calusa, whose homeland included the estuaries and shores to the southwest. Skilled hunters and fishers, they travelled inland in dugout canoes, following waterways toward the wetlands of the lake and the Kissimmee River. From coastal villages, Calusa chiefs commanded an extensive network of political and trading relationships.