First Peoples
The History of Paleo-Indians in Wisconsin
Turtle Mound on Observatory Hill, ca. 1910
Elevated view of a double-tailed turtle effigy mound on Observatory Hill on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Early archaeologists devoted study to Native American effigy mounds prior to the discovery of Paleo-Indian artifacts. View the original source document: WHI 34547
Much of the earliest archaeological activity in America focused on identifying and documenting the Native American effigy mounds throughout the country. But by 1860, effigy mound research began to share the spotlight with the quest for the First Americans. Archaeologists established that American Indians had been in the Americas for thousands of years longer than previously thought. The work of these pioneer researchers did not answer all the questions concerning the First Americans, but it set the stage for new exploration.
Paleo-Indians
Archaeologists refer to the First Americans as Paleo-Indians. These communities followed the retreat of glacial ice northward across Wisconsin. They developed a mobile lifestyle that allowed them to follow the ebb and flow of game and changes in the availability of plant foods and other resources. These small communities were often isolated, though groups did sometimes interact.
Paleo-Indian communities were not unchanging. They were shrewd and capable of adapting to changing social and environmental conditions. Paleo-Indian communities adapted so effectively that they sustained themselves for nearly five thousand years, from approximately 10,500–6000 B.C.E. Archaeologists have not distinguished specific Paleo-Indian clans, but it is clear that different groups lived in Wisconsin. Unique classes of spear points recovered throughout the state indicate the presence of distinct clans throughout history. The different point styles may also reflect the changes the Paleo-Indians made as they adapted to new conditions.
An Incredible Discovery
Mastodon, 1972
A Mastodon Americanus Cuvier skeleton on display in the Science and Natural History Museum in Science Hall on Langdon and Park Streets at the University of Wisconsin Madison. This skeleton was discovered in 1897 near Boaz, and was restored in 1915 by Professors M.G. Mehl and G. M. Schwartz. View the original source document: WHI 35980
Paleo-Indian sites came to broad public attention in 1897, when members of the Dosch family saw the bones of a large animal in an eroded stream bank. Digging unearthed a mastodon skeleton. Two spear points were recovered with the bones at the site near Boaz, Wisconsin. This spectacular find was widely publicized, prompting others to look for similar sites.
More Paleo-Indian spear points were discovered and their locations identified. Many were donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society and other museums. The recovery, reporting and analysis of these points revealed that Paleo-Indians had lived in all corners of the state. The spear point collections became the core of a base of information on the first residents of Wisconsin, and are still analyzed today.
Ancient and Expansive Culture
Wisconsin remains an important resource for answers about the Paleo-Indians. Five sites were discovered in southeastern Wisconsin containing bones from mammoths that exhibited evidence of butchering. At two locations, stone tools were found as well. The sites are estimated to be 12,000–12,500 years old, indicating the presence of humans in present-day Wisconsin thousands of years earlier than previously believed. The discovery shocked the archaeological community and made front-page news. Research continues throughout Wisconsin and North America.
Learn More
Ojibwe Place Names in Wisconsin, ca. 1890
Ancient copper mines are discovered in 1848
Copper tools from Northern Wisconsin, 4000-1,200 B.C.
An Oneota ceramic vessel, ca. 1500-1625
Statistics on government schools for Indians, 1899
Explore the Turning Points in Wisconsin History Collection
[Sources: Birmingham, Robert A. and Leslie E. Eisenberg. Indian Mounds of Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, c2000). Theler, James L. and and Robert F. Boszhardt. Twelve Millennia: Archaeology of the Upper Mississippi River Valley (Iowa City : University of Iowa Press, c2003). The History of Wisconsin: volume 1, From Exploration to Statehood by Alice E. Smith. (Madison, State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1973)]