It is logical that we begin with those who came here first.

Minnesota’s history did not begin in the 1600s with the arrival of fur traders. Through our archeological collection of more than 1,700 points collected in Rice County, we can prove that this land has steadily supported people for the last 13,000 years.

Prehistory, especially in the Americas, is a complex labyrinth of discoveries. These people left behind no written record and therefore we must use archaeological evidence in order to try to understand and honor them. It is not enough to just know the classifications of the projectile points, we must ask ourselves what the points tell us about the lives of the people who made, used, and discarded these projectiles. Rice County has been populated since the end of the last Ice Age. There is little left of these people, but even the broken pieces of projectiles can tell us a great deal about the people who wielded them in the first place.

To help better understand the First Peoples of Rice County, we partnered with Carleton College’s Historians For Hire student, Bee Candelaria to create an online timeline, “Prehistoric Peoples of Rice County”. We encourage all to visit the site and explore just a small portion of the treasures left by those who came before us.