Missouri

Missouri’s archaeological record reflects over 13,000 years of human adaptations to changing environments, technologies, and social and population conditions. Archaeologists have divided the overall sequence into a number of temporal “periods” based on identifiable large-scale cultural or technological changes. From the first European exploration to the Civil War, Missouri’s historic archaeological sites consist mostly of early trading centers (Fort Orleans), river settlements (Ste. Genevieve, St. Louis, and St. Charles), and rural farmsteads. While pre-Civil War historic Native American sites are not common, tribes living in or passing through the state included the Osage, Otoe-Missouria, Iowa, Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo, Sac-Fox, Potawatomi, Peoria, and Cherokee. Others to immigrate included European Americans (French, Spanish, and English), and African Americans (free and slave).