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Like most of the gulf coast counties, there were many villages along the coast where ancient Floridians fished and built temple mounds. Mounds studied here show evidence of Tocobaga mounds, which resembled the Mississippian culture, and lived right next to the Calusa from southwest Florida.

Little Salt Springs near North Port is a 250 feet wide limestone sinkhole that has produced many artifacts of early Florida hunters dating back to 10,000 B.C. Long ago this was a fresh water spring, and it attracted many animals. Florida back then was a much drier place, and the oceans were much lower. One thing that early Floridians like to hunt was a now extinct giant land tortoise, and there has been one of these tortoise shells found here that is pierced by a spear point. (Not open to the public.)

Another big area of occupation from archaic to Seminole times was the Myakka River.

Fort Myakka was along the river of the same name during the panic of 1849.