Indiana Early History

First Early Inhabitants

Early history examines the archaeological record that tells the story of the first inhabitants of Indiana. Learn about the history and culture of the first inhabitants, and what lessons it might teach us about the early history of Indiana.

• Prior 10, 000 B.C. - During the Pleistocene period, also known as "THE ICE AGE," much of Indiana was covered by ice. 
• 10, 000 B.C. - ca. 8000 B.C. - After the Thaw. Prehistoric American Indians may have been in Indiana as long ago as 11,000 B.C.
  • Paleo-Indian era: Archaeological evidence includes man-made projectile points
  • Archaic Indian era: Archaeological evidence includes the mussel shell mounds in southwestern Indiana.
• 1000 B.C. - 900 A.D. - Woodland Indian era: Archaeological evidence of cultivation, ceramic pottery, and burial mounds like those at Mounds State Park near Anderson, IN.
• 900 A.D. - ca. 1650 A.D. -
  • Mississippian Indian era: with Archaeological evidence of extensive cultivation and large permanent community settlements such as found at Angel Mounds State Site near Evansville, IN. Read Angel Mounds at Evansville, Indiana, a Formal Report by Dr. Glenn A. Black
  • Angel Mounds State Historic Site - a Mississippian Indian town (1100 - 1450 A.D.) Was this the land of Casqui and Pacaha reportedly described by De Soto?
  • Spanish Conquistadors in North America (De Soto from 1539) Organization of pages     Midwest Conquest Trails - Indiana
    In 1541, De Soto and his army are reported to have entered the town of the lord of Casqui (Vincennes)  
  • Mysterious Disappearances of the Amerindians Mound People - the end of the Mississippian Era. (from neighboring Missouri area archaeology site)

Indiana’s earliest inhabitants were groups of Native Americans known as Mound Builders. Some of these prehistoric people were hunter-gatherers. Others were sedentary farmers. The mounds they left behind were constructed as burial sites, temples, platforms for religious structures, and earthen forts.

When European explorers entered the region in 1679, only a few hundred Native Americans remained. Most belonged to the Miami tribe. Native American Indians migrated west into Indiana as European settlers took their lands during the late 1600s. The Shawnee, Miami, Delaware, Mahican, and Potawatomi tribes were just a few of these tribes.

During the 1700’s and 1800’s many other tribes came to Indiana from the East, after losing their lands to white settlers. These included the Delaware, Mohican, Munsee, and Shawnee. Others, the Huron, Kickapoo, Piankashaw and Potawatomi, came to the region from the Great Lakes area to the north.

The Potawatomi were the last group of Native Americans to enter Indiana and the last to leave. They built villages in the northeastern part of the region in the late 1700’s, but by 1838, few remained. Many sold their land to the government. Others were driven out by the military.