DAN D. LAXSON 257 advances have been made by Ryan Wheeler (2004b:170-173, Table 12, Figures 15-17, Appendix B), based on conch shell celts from the Brickell Point Site. In 1961 and 1962, Elizabeth Wing and students at FSM identified zooarchaeological specimens in a number of Laxson’s collections. This work resulted in the identification of over 9,000 bones and bone fragments, according to accession cards for ZL collections 3-5, 8-17, and 26. These specimens are curated at FLMNH (Appendix I). Although these collec- tions were made prior to modern field methods, they still represent informative specimens. In 1964, Laxson tested a midden at a Seminole village and tourist stop along the Tamiami Trail in Big Cypress Swamp (well west of the sawgrass Everglades). Called Turner River Jungle Gardens, it was in Collier County, 70 miles from Miami, and north of Chokoloskee Bay and the Ten Thousand Islands. Laxson (1966) excavated two 5 x 5 ft tests, followed by a third unit excavated by the Broward County Archaeological Society (BCAS) in 1965. The excavators were sensitive to the site’s geographic location along a fresh-water river, connecting to north-south sloughs. Laxson interpreted these waterways as important transportation routes for the Indians. Indeed, excavations showed that the Indians transported items inland to the site, from the coast. These included whelk, oyster, and clam shells, as well as sea turtles and saltwater fishes. The published report includes presence/absence lists of faunal remains (mollusc taxa, vertebrate taxa) identified by Wing and her students in 1965 (Laxson 1964:Tables 1 and 2; accession card for collection ZL 103 at FLMNH). Laxson next completed a report about work he did a decade earlier in downtown Miami, at Dupont Plaza, on the north side of the mouth of the Miami River (Laxson 1968). This is the same area where excavations were conducted recently by Robert S. Carr and by New South Associates, of Atlanta, Georgia. Also in the mid-1960s, Laxson tested several sites in Dade and Broward counties. He worked with Wilma Williams and BCAS at the Sister’s Midden (8BD44), while Henry Mangels directed excavation at Black Creek #1 (8BD85) (Laxson 1970; accession cards for ZL 142, 143). More than 4,600 zooarchaeological specimens from these sites were identified at FSM in 1973 (accession cards for ZL 140-142, 145). In 1970, Laxson was 60 years old, and his field testing was behind him. In his last article, he wrote that, “after 20 years in the sawgrass, [he] considers his contributions . . . minor in all respects but one, knowing when to quit digging” (Laxson 1973). According to Sara Laxson Smith (personal communica- tion, 2004), her father took pride in finishing what he started. Laxson retired from Eastern Airlines in 1975, when he turned 65. Although his work in archaeology was over, the information he compiled was of great use in 1978-1980 when an archaeological survey was conducted of the Miami area, as part of the Dade County Historic Survey (Carr 1981b). He also continued to be consulted about sites and artifacts (Carr and Reiger 1980:67). Meanwhile, researchers have made use of Laxson’s finds. McGregor (1974) used ceramic data from twenty of Laxson’s sites, and Wing (1977:84, Tables 1 and 2) used zooarchaeological remains from ten of Laxson’s collections to define her resource “Constellation I.” Fradkin (1978) used snake bones from some of Laxson’s sites in a pioneering study of snake consumption by Florida Indians. In an overview of southeastern aboriginal subsistence, Larson (1980) cited Laxson’s work for anumber of animal remains. Laxson’s finds at Tumer River Jungle Gardens were helpful when additional testing was done there during an archeological survey of newly- created Big Cypress National Preserve in the late 1970s (Ehrenhard et al. 1978:21-22, 104, 108; Schwadron 2005). Shark remains in a number of Laxson’s collections at FLMNH were cited by Kozuch (1993: Appendix A). In 1989, Laxson received the Florida Anthropological , Society’s highest honor, the William C. Lazarus Award, at the Alst Annual Meeting, in Jacksonville. The award recognized Laxson for pioneering archaeological work in southeastern Florida. It cited his public outreach in the Miami area, and also acknowledged his donations to museums of archaeological materials. Acknowledgments The following individuals provided information: Sara Laxson Smith of Miami; Elise LeCompte, Scott Mitcheli, Diane Kloetzer, Sylvia Scudder, and Elizabeth Wing at FLMNH in Gainesville; Ryan Wheeler at the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research in Tallahassee; Robert Carr at the Archaeological and Historical Conservancy in Davie; Jorge Zamanillo at HMSF in Miami; Kieran Orr at the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee; and Carrie Beauchamp at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. Ryan Wheeler kindly prepared the figures, and he provided all but one of them. References Cited Beiter, Gary N. 2001 Salvage and Excavation of Bamboo Mound (8DA94), Dade County, Florida: A Multi-Component Site. The Florida Anthropologist 54:30-48. 2003 Excavations at Refugee Island (8DA2102), Miami-Dade County, Florida. The Florida Anthropologist 56:277-292. Brooks, Marvin J., Jr. 1956 Excavations at Grossman Hammock, Dade County, Florida. The Florida Anthropologist 9:37-46. Bullen, Ripley P. 1974 Were There Pre-Columbian Cultural Contacts Between Florida and the West Indies: The Archaeological Evidence. The Florida Anthropologist 27:149-160. Bullen, Ripley P., and Dan D. Laxson 1954 Some Incised Pottery from Cuba and Florida. The Florida Anthropologist 7:23-25. Carr, Robert S. 1975. Excavations at the Arch Creek Site (83DA23), Dade County, Florida. Report prepared for the Florida Division of Archives, History, and Records Management. On file, Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research, Tallahassee. 198la TheBrickell Store and Seminole Indian Trade. The Florida Anthropologist 34:180-199.