A great lifestyle transition occurred about 2,500 years ago with the introduction of agriculture, pottery making and mound building. These practices, probably originating from Mexico, slowly replaced the subsistence way of life. Scattered mounds along the Little Eau Pleine River prove that Woodland Indians lived here.
This early Woodland scraper had been reworked from a broken notched point.
These middle woodland (about 2,000 years old) points were found in a 1969 Lawrence University excavation of two mounds near the river.
These small triangular points are true arrowheads from the late Woodland period (about 1,400 years ago) when the bow and arrow were first used in North America. These were found by Walter Krause in nearby farm fields.
These rimsherds and bodysherds were described as “punctuated and Lake Nokomis Trailed Middle Woodland, AD 1-500”. They were collected in the Lawrence University dig.
These middle woodland (about 1,400 years old) pottery sherds were found in a 1969 Lawrence University excavation of two mounds near the Little Eau Pleine River.
Pottery was a major innovation of the Woodland Cultural Tradition. Clay was rolled and coiled into the shape of the vessel, a rim was attached and the exterior decorated with punctuated or cord-marked designs. The finished pieces were hardened in an open fire pit.