Avocational archaeologist and historian Charlie Strader. PROVIDED

The Southwest Florida Archaeological Society (SWFAS) will be hosting a presentation on The Archaeology of Bonita Springs. The presentation will be held Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., at the Collier Museum at Government Center, 3331 Tamiami Trail East, in Naples. This is a free public program.

About the Presentation

Avocational archaeologist and historian Charlie Strader will discuss the prehistory of Bonita Springs. His PowerPoint presentation will cover back to the earliest evidence of man in our area and sites documenting over 6,000 of Native American life in the area.

He will highlight the Calusa’s culture, technologies, and built environment including their capital at Mound Key in Estero Bay, contact with Spanish starting in 1513, and their demise.

Bonita Springs has a rich archaeology including some of Florida’s first mound building and earliest mortuary sites. Time will be available for questions and answers.

Avocational archaeologist and historian Charlie Strader at work. PROVIDED

About the speaker

Strader has a 45-year residency in Bonita Springs, including more than a decade living on a Native American archaeological site located on the Imperial River. He received a B.A. Degree in Applied Anthropology from the University of South Florida. He is current treasurer of the Southwest Florida Archaeology Society and former three-term president. He was involved in the recording of over a hundred local archaeology sites in the Florida Master Site File, active in numerous excavations and events, and visited or worked with various archaeologists on many South Florida sites.

He is also twice former president of the Bonita Springs Historical Society and past chairperson of the city of Bonita Springs’ Historic Preservation Board. He is also a member of various local plant and environmental organizations. His international travels have often focused on cultures in the New World, such as the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Inca and Moche. He is founder and president of Explorations, Inc., a specialty travel company offering cultural and natural history tours to Central and South America.

Source: Southwest Florida Archaeological Society