Lake Farm Archaeological District

Lake Farm Archaeological District. Welcome to the Lake Farm Archaeological District. , The most recent archaeological evidence indicates that Native Americans have lived in this region (Wisconsin) for 12,000+ years. Archaeologists don't know all the names of the prehistoric people who preceded the historic tribes of Wisconsin, but these cultures have been divided into a series of units:, Paleo-Indians , About 10,000 to 13,000 years ago, Paleo-Indians entered Wisconsin as they hunted woolly mammoth, mastodon, and bison. These large mammals lived on the abundant vegetation beginning to grow as the glaciers retreated northward. They also harvested wild plants and hunted smaller animals., Archaic Period , Around 8,000 years ago, the climate became warmer and dryer. The large Ice Age mammals were replaced by animals found in the state today. People lived in smaller family groups in caves, along rivers, and around lakes and wetlands. They harvested wild plants and hunted smaller animals such as deer and elk., Woodland Period , Approximately 2,500 years ago, people lived in large villages and began to use bows and arrows to hunt. It was during this period that many mounds, including effigies built in the shape of animals, were built throughout Wisconsin. These people were also Wisconsin's first potters and gardeners., Mississippian Period , In Wisconsin these people are called Oneota. They lived in villages and planted gardens to grow crops such as corn, beans and squash. They had a complex trade network which extended to both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts., Historic Period , The French explorer, Jean Nicolet, arrived in Wisconsin in 1634. The Indian tribes present in the state included the Ho Chunk (Winnebago), Potawatomi, Menominee, and Chippewa (Ojibwe) Indians.