Next time you’re out on a walk, enjoying nature – especially in the Poconos – think about the prehistoric footsteps that walked the path before you.
One of the earliest dated Native American sites in the Northeastern U-S is in our part of Pennsylvania, an area near where the Delaware River and Brodhead Creek meet. It’s called the Shawnee Minisink Archaeological Site.
It was *first* discovered, then excavated, back in the 1970’s – during which time researchers found thousands of artifacts that ended up having a major impact on our understanding of human occupation both in P-A, and in the U-S.
Specifically: investigations uncovered stone tools around a series of campfires, not to mention the remains of fish and fruit. That was evidence of a more diverse diet than expected for that time.
More than 600 archaeological sites in all are recorded in the Upper Delaware River basin in the Poconos, but experts say only 200 or so can be assigned to a specific time period.
