National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: Paleoindians and the Great Pleistocene Die Off
Article discusses Paleoindian migration and animal extinction at the end of the Pleistocene era and explores what we can learn about conservation given what we know about Pleistocene climate and extinction.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Archaeology Program: The Earliest Americans Theme Study
This exhaustive study of Paleo-Indians examines many of the sites where evidence of their occupation is found across the North American continent. This National Park Service study looks at evidence in found in projectile points,...
Smithsonian Institution
Encyclopedia Smithsonian: Paleoamerican Origins
This detailed article from the Encyclopedia Smithsonian lays out the theories and evidence of who were the earliest inhabitants of North and South America. Beginning with the traditional theory of migration using the land bridge, and...
Other
College of Arts and Sciences: The Evolution of Folsom Fluting [Pdf]
This is a complex and detailed paper about the fluting of the Folsom projectile point and the advantages of having these points fluted. Read about the sites where many of the Folsom points were found.
Other
Illinois State Museum: Native Americans
Explore aspects of Native American life in Illinois at this colorful website. Just click on the topics at the left to learn about this group during prehistoric and historic times.
Other
Ohio History: Virtual First Ohioans
This award-winning resource from the Ohio Historical Society presents Ohio's first cultures: PaleoIndian, Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, and Late Prehistoric Period cultures. Click on each period for additional information and great...
Other
Cabrillo College: The Men From Spirit Cave and Wizard's Beach
Read about the discoveries of the Spirit Lake Man and Wizard's Beach Man.
Other
Mc Clung Museum: Prehistoric American Indians in Tennessee
A comprehensive look at the prehistoric Indians who lived in Tennesse, beginning with the PaleoIndian period through the Mississippian period of mound builders. Find pictures of artifacts, drawings, and a good discussion of each period.
Other
Early Cultures: Pre European Peoples of Wisconsin: Archaic Tradition
The Indians in the Archaic period changed somewhat from the Paleo-Indians before them. Find out about the game they hunted, and the changes in the tools they used. Find a handy chart that consolidates the information about the Archaic...
Other
Early Cultures: Pre European Peoples of Wisconsin
An archaeologist's study of Western Wisconsin, this site helps us understand the early people living in Wisconsin 12,000 years ago.
Other
Early Cultures: Paleo Traditions
This interesting site shows many aspects of the Paleo culture. Learn about the ways the Paleo Indians hunted for food, the tools they used, and find a chart which organizes all the information.
Other
New Mexico Museum of Art: Prehistory: Paleo Indian Sites
Download a great map of New Mexico showing the Paleo-Indian sites from 10,000 B.C. to 5,500 BC. [pdf]
Texas A&M University
Csfa: Circum Pacific Research by the Csfa
Center for the Study of the First Americans at Texas A & M University is researching many different sites across North America looking in to theories of "Clovis First" and "Pre-Clovis" as to who were the first people to inhabit North...
Curated OER
National Park Service: Russell Cave: Prehistoric Cultures
Russell Cave in Alabama holds clues to the many groups of inhabitants that represented cultures in America over the past 10,0000 years. Read an overview of the cultures themselves before looking into the cultures in more detail. Find...
Other
Mississippi Valley Archaeolgy Center: Common Projectile Points
This scholarly work describes the various projectile points used by Paleo-Indians and later cultures in the Upper Mississippi Valley. Find diagrams, photographs, and descriptions of the points, and compare their differences and...
University of Iowa
University of Iowa: Flintknapping
Although not specifically about Clovis points, this article shows how early man made arrowheads and other stone tools through a process called flintknapping.
Other
Early Cultures: Pre European Peoples of Wisconsin: Mississippian and Oneota
The Mississippian and Oneota cultures were the first true farmers in the Mississippi Valley. Read about their transition from hunting and gathering, and see what differences in their life styles farming brought about. Find a chart that...
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: Nebraska's First Farmers
An extensive site filled with information about the Plains Woodland period in Nebraska. Click through the pages to find information about the first farmers prior to 1600 AD. Included are photographs of archaeological sites and teacher...
![Nebraska Studies: Pre 1500: Nebraska's First Farmers [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://content.lessonplanet.com/knovation/original/860577-5ed78fd4c3e30f985c9890d9b028ad2c.jpg?1661774112 "Nebraska Studies: Pre 1500: Nebraska's First Farmers [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: Pre 1500: Nebraska's First Farmers [Pdf]
A lengthy and detailed lesson plan that explores the earliest Americans who lived in Nebraska prior to European contact. Although specific to Nebraska, the information can be generalized. [pdf]
Curated OER
National Park Service: Coso Rock Art
One of America's most impressive petroglyphic and archeological complexes. The 20,000 images already documented surpass in number most other collections.
University of California
Basic Stone Tools: Paleo Indian Spear Points
See a comparison of several different spear points made by the earliest Americans over a period of 4,000 years. The spear points had many similarities. The differences seem to be related to the game being hunted.
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Comission
Explore Pa History: Meadowcroft Rockshelter Historical Marker
An interesting article about the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and how archaeologists were able to dig through enough strata to determine that it was the home for paleo-Indians in Pennsylvania about 16,000 years ago. See pictures of some of...
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Coastal Shell Rings
This article explains what shell rings are and why they are important in understanding the daily life and culture of Archaic Period groups living in the southeast United States. Read about the theories of the ring sites in terms of...
PBS
Nova: Mystery of the First Americans
Read the transcript of the NOVA program about Kennewick Man, how he was found, and why his discovery was so important.