Mille Lacs Kathio State Park near Onamia in Mille Lacs County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Resources for the "Good Life"

Kathio Landmark Trail

— National Historic Landmark District —

Resources for the "Good Life" Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, May 29, 2025

1. Resources for the "Good Life" Marker

Inscription.

Harvesting the Woodlands and the Prairies
This ancient village was strategically placed, on the lake and on the continent. People of this village used not only the rich variety of local forest resources, but those of Minnesota's prairies as well. Father Hennepin's journal of 1680 told of Dakota people from Kathio canoeing south on the river to hunt bison on the prairie. Although bison did not live in the forests of Mille Lacs area, archaeologists discovered many bison bones in the excavation of this village site.

Middens
The villagers kept their main living area clean of debris. At the bottom of the bank in front of you, archaeologists found places where refuse was dumped. Excavation of these "middens" revealed how these people used the natural resources of the region.

Gathering
Seeds in the refuse piles showed that the Dakota villagers of the 1500s and 1600s relied heavily on wild rice. They also used raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, hazelnuts and a variety of other plants that grew in the mixture of pine and hardwood forest that is now the park.

Hunting
A variety of animal bones were also found in

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the middens. Careful study of the bones gave clues about the meat in the diet of the ancient villagers. Most of their meat was white-tailed deer and bison. They also hunted elk, bear, beaver, muskrat, porcupine and fish, as well as lesser amounts of waterfowl and turtles.

Erected by Minnesota State Parks and Trails.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1500.

Location. 46° 8.727′ N, 93° 46.572′ W. Marker is near Onamia, Minnesota, in Mille Lacs County. It is in Mille Lacs Kathio State Park. It can be reached from the road to Ogechie Campground. The marker is on the Kathio Landmark Trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15066 Kathio State Park Road, Onamia MN 56359, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Minnesota.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was

Resources for the "Good Life" Marker at the Cooper Site on the Kathio Landmark Trail image. Click for full size.

Photographed by McGhiever, May 29, 2025

2. Resources for the "Good Life" Marker at the Cooper Site on the Kathio Landmark Trail

once Rupert’s Land,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Wealth of History (a few steps from this marker); House & Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Archaeology Uncovers the Unwritten Past (within shouting distance of this marker); Dakota Village (within shouting distance of this marker); Ojibwe Wild Rice Harvest (within shouting distance of this marker); A Wealth of Resources (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ogechie Wetlands (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kathio Landmark Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Onamia.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 3 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 18, 2026, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.