St. Johns Bluff in Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Timucuan Friends

Fort Caroline National Monument

— Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve —

Timucuan Friends Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 31, 2011

1. Timucuan Friends Marker

Inscription. "[The Timucuans] brought us grains of roasted maize,... smoked lizards or other wild animals... and various kinds of roots, some for foods, others for medicine. And when they discovered that we were more interested in metals and minerals, they gave us some of these as well."
Jacques le Moyne, 1564 la Caroline colonist and artist

Timucuan Chief Saturiba's men crafted a shelter, similar to the one seen here, so Saturiba could sit and watch the colonists build their settlement. When the French requested help, Saturiba sent eighty of his strongest men. The natives helped dig the fort's moat; they gathered palmetto leaves, weaving a thatch to cover the colonists' houses.

The Timucuans gave of their bounty - gold and silver jewelry, pearls, animal hides, and medicinal plants. In return, Chief Saturiba sought a war alliance to help his people. When the alliance never materialized, Timucuan assistance dwindled.

"If the natives had not supplied us daily from their own stores, some of us certainly would have perished from starvation, especially those who did not know how to use a gun in the hunt."
Jacques le Moyne

Erected by National

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Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1564.

Location. 30° 23.18′ N, 81° 29.916′ W. Marker is in Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County. It is in St. Johns Bluff. It can be reached from Ft. Caroline Road, on the left when traveling east. Located on the tour trail from the visitor center in Fort Caroline National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Jacksonville FL 32225, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 31, 2011

2. Timucuan Friends Marker

of this marker: The River of May (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Building of la Caroline (about 400 feet away); Fort de la Caroline (about 600 feet away); Spanish Pond (approx. ¼ mile away); Staking a Claim (approx. half a mile away); Ribault Monument (approx. 0.6 miles away); New France (approx. 0.6 miles away); Timucuan Preserve (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.

Also see . . . Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve website. (Submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Reconstructed Timucuan Hut image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Craig Swain, July 31, 2011

3. Reconstructed Timucuan Hut

Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 859 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 27, 2011, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.