Calusa Artifacts

FOR WGCU NEWS IM TEDDY BYRNE >> THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM IS PREPARING TO SAY GOODBYE TO A VERY SPECIAL GUEST. THE WORLD FAMOUS KEY MARCO CAT AND NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACT BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN CARVED SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 51500 YEARS AGO. WGCUS JANINE ZEITLIN CAUGHT UP WITH CAT EXPERTS AND FANS DURING A FAREWELL CELEBRATION AT THE MUSEUM. >> MARCO ISLAND RESIDENTS RALLIED AROUND THE EFFORT TO BRING THE KEY MARCO CAT FROM THE SMITHSONIAN TO THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM. BUT THE LOAN IS ENDING AND THE CAT MUST GO BACK. SAID PAT RUTLEDGE CEO OF THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. >> CATS BEEN WITH US FOR 7 AND A HALF YEARS. WE FEEL LIKE IT'S IT'S PART OF US IS PART OF WHO WE ARE. IT'S CERTAINLY PART OF MARCO ISLAND STORY. SO IT IS SAD TO SAY GOODBYE, BUT IT'S BEEN SO SPECIAL TO HAVE IT. >> SO THE KEY MARCO CAT IS ONE OF HUNDREDS OF ARTIFACTS THAT WERE DISCOVERED HERE ON MARCO ISLAND IN 18. 96 BY A FAMOUS ARCHAEOLOGIST FRANCK HAMILTON, CUSHING. AND IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE ASSEMBLAGES OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS EVER DISCOVERED. AND IT'S SO REMARKABLE BECAUSE THE ARTIFACTS WERE MOSTLY MADE OUT OF WOOD AND 0.5 OR AND OTHER ORGANIC MATERIALS THAT DON'T ORDINARILY SURVIVE AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL CONTEXT. AND THE CAT IS. YOU KNOW, THE CROWN JEWEL OF THE COLLECTION, IF YOU WILL. IT'S ABOUT 6 INCHES TALL. BUT CARVED FROM A NATIVE WOULD SPECIES AND IN THE LIKENESS OF PROBABLY THE FLORIDA PANTHER NATIVE FLORIDA PANTHER, IT'S REALLY AN EARLY EXAMPLE OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART BEING MADE PROBABLY BEFORE THE TIME OF THEIR ARRIVAL OF EUROPEANS TO THIS COMMENT. >> AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING, TOO, IS WE REALLY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE TRUE PURPOSE OF THE ARTIFACT WAS. IT COULD HAVE BEEN CEREMONIAL COULD HAVE BEEN RELIGIOUS COULD'VE BEEN A CHILD'S TOY. WE'LL NEVER REALLY KNOW THE PURPOSE OF IT WHEN IT WAS CREATED, WHICH IS PART OF THE MYSTERY OF IT. THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SUCH A COMPELLING STORY. >> THE KEY MARCO CAT PLAYED A PART IN SHAPING THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM RECENTLY NAMED THE 3RD BEST SMALL TOWN MUSEUM BY USA TODAY. >> SO WHEN THE MUSEUM WAS DESIGNED, IT WAS DESIGNED WITH SPECIAL BOUGHT THAT WOULD HOLD THE CAT SECURELY AND YET MAKE IT VISIBLE TO. OVER 155,000. PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME TO SEE THE CAP. >> IN THE LAST DAY TO SEE THE KEY MARCO CAT, THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL MUSEUM IS SATURDAY. APRIL 18TH ADMISSION IS FREE. THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF OTHER THINGS TO SEE AT THE MUSEUM. BUT MARCO RESIDENTS ARE NOT READY TO SAY FAREWELL TO THEIR FAVORITE FELINE AGAIN. IT'S IT'S SO MUCH A PART OF US, BUT IT'S SO MUCH A PART OF THE COMMUNITY, TOO. >> AND LOVED HAVING THE CAT HERE. EVERYONE'S ASKING, WHY DO WE HAVE AND GIVE THE CAT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE CAMP BELONGS HERE. WELL, WE DON'T OWN THE CAT, THE SMITHSONIAN AIR AND AND HIS FRAGILE AND. HE NEEDS TO KIND OF TAKE A LITTLE REST, BUT LIGHT HURTS HIM. AND SO ON. I I'LL START WORKING ON IT AGAIN. A CITY LATE THURSDAY GOES OVER THE OF PEOPLE. CAN'T. WE GOT TO GET THEM BACK >> FOR WGCU, I'M JANINE ZEITLIN WITH VIDEOGRAPHER TOM JAMES. >> TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MARCO ISLAND IN COLLIER COUNTY AND THE KEY MARCO CAT. WE ARE NOW JOINED BY PAT RUTLEDGE, THE CEO OF THE MARCO ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY FROM MARCO ISLAND. YOU'RE WELCOME. IT'S A PLEASURE. WHY IS THIS TINY KEY MARCO CAT SUCH A HUGE ATTRACTION FOR? I THINK IT'S AT LEAST 150,000 PEOPLE SO FAR TO MARCO. YOU KNOW, IT'S ICONIC. >> AND THAT PIECE WAS FOUND HERE ON MARCO ISLAND. >> IN 18, 96 BY FRANK HAMILTON, CUSHING, ALONG WITH ALMOST 1000 OTHER ARTIFACTS. AND WHAT WHAT MAKES IT SO SPECIAL BECAUSE IT IS BETWEEN. 15500 YEARS OLD IS THE FACT THAT DESPITE THE FACT IT'S AN ORGANIC PEACE, IT IS STILL VERY MUCH INTACT. ALOT OF THE OBJECTS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE ORIGINAL DIG ONCE THEY BEGAN TO INTERACT WITH THE AIR, THEY IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO DETERIORATE. BUT THE KEY MARCO CAT REMAINED INTACT AND IT'S A WONDERFUL REPRESENTATION OF PEOPLE AT A TIME THAT IS NO LONGER HERE. >> AND THIS CAT HAS BEEN AT YOUR MUSEUM. I THINK IT'S ABOUT 7 YEARS. 7 AND A HALF YEARS. >> AND IT IS THE LONGEST STRETCH OF TIME. >> THAT THE OBJECT HAS BEEN AN EXHIBIT IN ONE SINGLE MUSEUM. OF COURSE, IT'S BEEN ON DISPLAY ELSEWHERE, BUT IT'S NEVER BEEN IN ONE MUSEUM FOR THAT PERIOD OF TIME. SO VERY PROUD OF THAT. NOW AT YOUR MUSEUM WAS RECENTLY NAMED THE 3RD BEST SMALL TOWN MUSEUM. >> BY USA TODAY, WHAT MAKES THE MUSEUM SO SPECIAL IN MARCO ISLAND? >> YOU KNOW, IT'S SO INTERESTING BECAUSE I'M MARCO ISLAND IS A BARRIER ISLAND WHERE 4 BY 6 MILES AND SO WHEN PEOPLE COME HERE, THEY DON'T EXPECT TO SEE A MUSEUM OF THE QUALITY THAT THEY EXPERIENCE WHEN THEY WALK IN THAT FRONT DOOR. NOW WE'RE IN A WORD WINNING MUSEUM IN MORE WAYS THAN JUST THIS MOST RECENT RECOGNITION WE'VE TWICE WON THE HIGHEST AWARD IN FLORIDA MUSEUM SYSTEM, THE MUSEUM OF EXCELLENCE AND FOR A SMALL MUSEUM AND A BARRIER ISLAND TO BE RECOGNIZED IN THAT WAY IS IT'S RARE AND IT WE ARE VERY WELL DESERVING OF IT. >> WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER EXHIBITS THAT ARE THERE? >> SO IN THE TRAVELING GALLERY AND EVERY 3 TO 4 MONTHS, WE DO CHANGE THAT OUT. WE NOW HAVE JUST OPENED AN AMAZING EXHIBIT IN RECOGNITION OF THE AMERICA. 2.50, MILESTONE THAT'S APPROACHING AND THE EXHIBIT IS CALLED AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL. IT'S A PHOTOGRAPHY. EXHIBIT BY CLYDE BUTCHER AND CLYDE BUTCHER'S, A RENOWNED PHOTOGRAPHER JUSTIN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BUT NATIONALLY AND IT'S HIS LARGE FORMAT. IMAGES OF THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY THAT WE LIVE IN FROM THE REDWOOD FOREST OF CALIFORNIA TO THE EVERGLADES OF FLORIDA. SO IT'S A VERY, VERY SPECIAL EXHIBIT HONORING THE BEAUTY OF OUR COUNTRY. AND WE'RE DOING THAT INTENTIONALLY TO CELEBRATE AMERICA. 2.50, THAT SOUNDS AMAZING. >> IT WAS NOT. IT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR AUDIENCE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF MARCO ISLAND THAT WE MIGHT NOT KNOW. >> THAT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE WE ARE WE ARE RESORT ISLAND RESORT COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE COME THINKING THAT WE BEGIN WITH THE MEDICAL BROTHERS IN THE 1960'S IN 1970'S. AND THAT TRULY IS THE START OF MODERN MARCO. BUT OUR HISTORY IS AN ANCIENT ONE. WE HAVE HAD PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND FOR 6,000 YEARS AND MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT OR EXPECTED WHEN THEY COME TO THE MUSEUM. BUT OUR STORIES ARE OLD AND THERE ARE MANY AND OUR MUSEUM DOES A BEAUTIFUL JOB OF TELLING THEM IN DIFFERENT WAYS. >> AND FINALLY, THE CAT THAT HAS BEEN IN THE MUSEUM FOR MORE THAN 7 YEARS NOW NEEDS TO LEAVE. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT LETTING HIM GO? YOU KNOW, >> CERTAINLY MIXED EMOTIONS. AND WE'VE BEEN VERY PROUD TO HAVE THAT ARE IN EFFECT. >> HERE WHERE IT WAS FIRST FOUND. BUT WE ALSO RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE A SMALL MUSEUM. AND SO THEREFORE, NOT NECESSARILY AS WELL EQUIPPED AS THE ACTUAL OWNING INSTITUTION, THE SMITHSONIAN TO CARE FOR IT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME IN. THIS IS A TREASURE AND IT NEEDS TO BE PRESERVED PROPERLY THE OTHER WAY I THINK ABOUT IT IS IT IS MARCO ISLAND'S REPRESENTATION IN OUR COUNTRY'S MUSEUM, THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION. AND SO THAT IN AND OF ITSELF IS A HUGE RECOGNITION FOR FOR OUR ISLAND. >> IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH US TODAY ABOUT THE KEY MARCO CAT OR ABOUT YOUR MUSEUM? I'M IS AMAZING. AND IF YOU COME, YOU WILL, AS I SAID, LEARN OUR STORIES IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. WE ARE INTERACTIVE. WE ALSO HAVE A LOT OF COPY WEISE. WE SHOW VIDEO. WE LOOK FOR WAYS ALWAYS TO TELL THE STORIES BECAUSE THEY NEED TO BE PRESERVED. HISTORY CAN'T DISAPPEAR. AND SO IF YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THIS, THIS BEAUTIFUL ISLAND THAT WE CALL PARADISE THE MUSEUM, THIS THE PLACE TO START. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS GREAT INFORMATION. THANK YOU, PAT. >> YOU'RE WELCOME. YOU'RE