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<br />Prehistoric and Early Historic Overview (to 1840s) <br /> <br />Specifics about the prehistoric per.iod of Elk Riyer remain alrn0St compl~tely l'ilknown as <br />no archaeological sites in the township have been previously discovered or studied. We can <br />be certain, however, that the area has been home to multiple populations, perhaps beginning <br />with some of the oldest inhabitants of North America, to pre-Dakota, Dakota, and Ojibwa <br />peoples. There is no doubt that people clustered at the juncture of the Mississippi and Elk <br />Rivers to take advantage of the proximity to a variety of ecosystems and natural resources. <br />Furthermore, this river juncture was a crossroads of pre-motorized transportation in the <br />region;?lk River WllS the pla.ce wher~ !'lllch regiooal nort.l:\-south and east-west traffic would <br />meet as populations made their seasonal rounds. <br />Minnesota Prehistory and History is generally divided into six periods:1 <br /> <br />Date <br /> <br />Period <br /> <br />Cultural Traits <br /> <br />10,000-6000 B.C. <br /> <br />Paleoindian <br /> <br />6000-200 B.C. <br /> <br />Archaic <br /> <br />200 B.c. - A.D. <br />500 <br /> <br />Initial <br />Woodland <br /> <br />Small semi-nomadic population, generally involved in <br />large game hunting (bison and mammoths), as well as <br />utilization of smaller games and other natural <br />resources. The Paleoindians ate characterized by <br />their large projectile points, and they did not use <br />ceramic technology. <br /> <br />Large game hunting continued with an increasing <br />emphasis on diverse strategies of hunting, trapping, <br />and resource exploitation. The Archaic peoples are <br />more closely adapted to the local environment and <br />locally identifiable cultures and traditions appear. <br />Chipped as well as ground stone tools are <br />I characteristic of this period, a~ well as the use of <br />I cold-hammered copper. The Archaic peoples did not <br />I use ceramic technology I <br />! ! <br />Ceramic technology is first used, and new styles of <br />stone tools are developed. The earliest examples of <br />mound building date to this period, A hunting- <br />gathering tradition continues, but people are more <br />sedentary and increasingly distinctive local and <br />regional cultures develop. Minnesota's Initial <br />Woodland populations presumably included the <br />ancestors of the some of the Dakota. <br /> <br />A.D. 500-1680 <br /> <br />T enninal <br /> <br />The patterns of the Initial Woodland continue, but <br /> <br />9 <br />