Wisconsin Recap 2004
were replaced by The Archaic Culture in Wisconsin. By 4000 BC the climate in Wisconsin was warm and the large animals, mastodons, mammoths, and others were moving north following the melting glaciers. Smaller animals such as deer, elk, and bison were replacing them as the major meat source. The early Archaic people used simple stone tools and some later groups used copper. Burial sites tell us much about the people who lived here during this period. Because they were beginning to become attached to one area, rather than being nomadic, they established burial sites and traditions.
A little after 1000 BC The Early Woodland Culture in Wisconsin was beginning. They made crude thick-walled pots tempered with heavy grit. As time passed they learned to make thin-walled vessels with incised decorations. They began to build round or conical mounds, some of which are still visible today. These were the first group in Wisconsin to begin to cultivate plants rather than just harvesting wild plants. They established semi-permanent camps where they would go during hunting and fishing seasons.
Wisconsin's Woodland Culture continued. The Middle Woodland people were here from about 500 BC to AD 500. Like the Early Woodland groups, the Middle Woodland people were hunters, gatherers, fishers and gardeners, but they were beginning to spend more time in one spot. They cultivated more plants and they made improved pottery. Their tools and projectile points showed more skill. Mound building became more important.
As the native cultures receded before the white mans advance a number of things happened. One was how the breeding grounds and nesting sites for much of the wildlife was destroyed or occupied. Some folks in Wisconsin wanted to do something to keep at least one species from becoming extinct. Bringing the Whooping Cranes Back From Near Extinction tells the story of how the International Crane Foundation at Baraboo, Wisconsin came to be. In 1941 there were only 15 Whooping Cranes left from the immense flocks that had existed here earlier. By 1999 the flock had grown to 180. A visit to ICF is a great learning experience and one the whole family will enjoy.
The brilliant autumn leaves and small village scenery of Wisconsin can rival even the famed New England states. Looking for Autumn Color in Wisconsin looks at some of the many ways you can enjoy autumn in our state. From Green Bay
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