Your National Forests hold the evidence of more than 10,000 years of human past. Since there are no documents or photographs of this time long ago, to learn more about these people we look for the evidence they left behind. Even a few broken pieces of pottery or flakes of stone can provide important information on how people used to live.
Archaeology is the science that studies the artifacts that previous residents left behind.
You can help by not disturbing archaeological sites or artifacts. Artifacts, including arrowheads, pottery sherds, stone flakes and historic bottles are protected by federal law. Leave artifacts as you found them and encourage your family and friends to do the same. The three districts of the Cleveland National Forest may have been inhabited by humans 10,000 years ago. People of this period were probably gatherers and nomads who collected seeds and fruits and followed herds of large game animals like elk.