Dan Newnan, a 19th century Indian fighter. The time-span of the dated canoes suggests indigenous peoples have occupied the site since ancient times. According to the English Bible, the Great Flood of the Old Testament occurred 2,348 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. The difference between the two dates is 60 years - close to the error factor in the radiocarbon dating process. The first book of standard Christian and Catholic bibles, the Book of Genesis, dates back 6,000 years, making it concurrent with the DeLeon Springs canoe.
Archaeologists measure time differently than Bible scholars.
According to Jim Miller, state archaeologist, there have been people in Florida for more than 12,000 years. Evidence includes a charred stick, found in the carapace of a giant tortoise at the bottom of Warm Mineral Springs near Sarasota. That was radiocarbon dated to an age of 12,600 years. He was 9,000 years old. The find at Newnan's Lake, while comparatively only half as old, offers other ancient puzzles.