The land around you has a long history of human occupation. From 1000 to about 400 years ago, a thriving village bustled with life on the bluff across the Cuyahoga River. It was occupied, abandoned, and re-occupied many times during those six centuries. Archeologists call the culture that lived there the Whittlesey Tradition. Colonel Charles Whittlesey was the first to scientifically describe their sites. Whittlesey lifeways resembled the Fort Ancient culture of the Ohio River Valley. Archeologists identify the Whittlesey Tradition by their unique pottery and points.

These people lived in a walled village, and used the fields around you to cultivate corn, beans, and squash. Those foods were eaten with meat from deer, elk, bear and other game as well as foods from the river. We learn about past people from what they leave behind. What will we leave behind and what will it say about us?

Note that it is illegal to collect artifacts or disturb archeological sites within the national park.