The history of Native American peoples in North America stretches back tens of thousands of years, with the exact timing of their arrival still debated by scientists.
For years, it was believed that humans first entered the Americas around 15,000 to 20,000 years ago, crossing a land bridge from Siberia to Alaska during the Ice Age.
The discovery of fossilized human footprints in New Mexico in 2021, however, has pushed this timeline back to at least 23,000 years ago.
Other genetic studies suggest human presence in the Americas could date back as far as 30,000 years.
In Ohio, evidence of the first people arriving after the Ice Age, about 14,000 years ago, can be seen at sites like Paleo Crossing in Medina County, where early Ohioans hunted giant sloths and other prehistoric animals.
Ohio’s rich geological and archaeological history makes it an ideal place to study the ancient settlement of North America.
