Archaeological research published in Science reveals astonishing 1,000-year-old Native American crop fields in northern Michigan, showcasing high-level societal organization among indigenous people.
The Sixty Islands archaeological site along the Menominee River is the most complete ancient agricultural site in the eastern US, covering 330 acres and utilized between 1000 and 1600 CE.
Drone-based lidar technology uncovered raised fields of clustered, ridged garden beds for growing corn, beans, squash, and other plants, challenging previous estimates of agricultural scale in the region.
The ancestral Menominee communities' farming system required extensive organization and labor, with the cultivation of corn at the northern limit of its growth range, showcasing advanced agricultural productivity.