Looking Into the Past

Looking Into the Past. . , As you look across the Big Sioux River and onto the landscape beyond, imagine clusters of hide-covered lodges and grass-covered mounds atop the terraces above the river. The smoke from village fires curls into the air and carries the scent of roasting bison. With imagination you might hear the laughter of children, the murmur of women tending babies, the chopping of squash for the drying racks, the rhythmic grinding of dried corn, or the chipping of stone to make arrow points., Blood Run National Historic Landmark, which includes Good Earth State Park and some of the landscape you see over in Iowa, was once home to about 6,000 villagers. During the peak years of 1500 to 1714 A.D., a bustling village stretched for nearly five miles along the river. Most residents lived on the east side of the river, but just south of where you're standing stood another cluster of homes., Who Lived Here? , The modern-day Omaha, Ponca, Ioway, and Otoe nations know their ancestors lived here until early in the 1700s when the Sioux nation expanded its influence in the region., Cultivation , Notice the wide flat places along the river. Periodic flooding deposited organic matter that enriched these soils and created a perfect place for gardening. Residents thrived by hunting bison, elk, and other game, by gathering the fruits of the forest, and by cultivating small plots of corn, beans, and squash.