The Palaeo-lndians could have inhabited southeastern Ohio as early as 13,000 B.C. near the end of the ice age. As the glaciers retreated and vegetation became established on the landscape, the people gradually spread through much of the Ohio area, perhaps following the game animals on which they preyed.
The Palaeo-lndians probably lived in small (40-60 people), mobile groups obtaining most of their food supply through hunting various animals with spears tipped with flint points. They may also have collected plant foods, especially as deciduous forests including nut-bearing trees (oak, hickory, walnut) succeeded the coniferous forests of the ice age.
These people occupied small temporary camps at different locations within their territories, probably in response to the seasonal availability of various food sources. Archaeologists have also found some of their workshops near outcrops of flint. These sites are important because the debris left there shows how the Palaeo-lndians made their distinctive tools.