Portions of the following information were taken from Florida Geological Survey Bulletin 31.

Little Salt Spring is about 16 mi S. and E. of Venice and 2 mi NE. of Warm Mineral Springs. Take U.S. Hwy 41 to the Myakka River. Turn north on a paved road 3 mi E. of the Myakka River bridge (0.15 mi W. of bridge over the Big Slough). The spring is 2 mi N. of U.S. 41 and is surrounded by an 8-ft chain-link fence.

Description - The area surrounding the spring is flat and sandy with range grass, scrub oak, palmetto and cabbage palm dotting the hammocky landscape. The spring pool is 250 ft in diameter and has a run on the south side. The run continues 1.5 mi to Big Slough, a tributary to the Myakka River. The bottom of the pool forms a funnel to a depth of about 35 ft. From here the orifice is a vertical shaft with a diameter of about 75 ft. It extends straight down with ledge and cave openings at depths of 70 and 90 ft. About half way down the sides begin to slope outward to form an inverted funnel of unknown diameter. The bottom at the center is at a depth of about 215 ft, but the floor again slopes downward to unknown depths. Underwater archeologists of the Bureau of Historic Sites and Properties recovered human and other skeletal remains from the easterly side of the 90-ft ledge (Clausen, 1972). The human remains were radio-carbon dated to an age of 5220 90 yrs. Wood pins were recovered from the 35 ft depth where they had been driven into the limestone at the edge of the drop-off. Clausen and others (1975, p. 30-33) reasoned that these pins (radio-carbon age 9645 160 yrs and the presence of human remains suggested water levels were below present levels in Little Salt Spring and Warm Mineral Springs;, and that these southern coastal springs are two of but a few places where freshwater was available to the inhabitants of a once dry land.

Utilization - Little Salt Spring is privately owned and not open to the public. Archeological remains within the spring have been under investigation since 1970 in a cooperative effort between the State of Florida and the owners of the spring.