Crossroads , p. vii
Introduction
Crossroads of the Past depicts 12,000 years of prehistory
in Arkansas, from the time of the arrival of a few families of adventurous
hunters near the end of the Ice Age to the portentous day of June 18, 1541
when Hernando De Soto's
invading army crossed the Mississippi, near Memphis. De Soto brought scribes
as well as soldiers, so on that day
history began in the territory that was to become Arkansas. But so did the
destruction of the rich and diverse
Indian cultures that had grown and flourished here over the course of 12,000 years, for the Spaniards unknowingly brought plagues that killed most of the Indians they met.
Crossroads also depicts the major events of the still shadowy period between A.D. 1541 and A.D. 1850, the time of European exploration and settlement, when the native tribes of Arkansas were diminishing and being moved west into Texas and Oklahoma, while others, such as the Choctaw, Coushatta, Delaware, and Cherokee, were being pushed into Arkansas by European settlers to the east.
Archeologists divide the 12,000 years of Arkansas prehistory--and, in fact, the prehistory of all of Eastern North America--into five eras, each characterized by basic differences in the life-ways of the Indians. These are the Paleo Indian era (9500 B.C. to 8000 B.C.), the Archaic era (8000 B.C. to 500 B.C.), the Woodland era (500 B.C. to A.D. 900), the Mississippian era (A.D. 900 to A.D. 1541), and the Historic era (A.D. 1541 to A.D. 1850).
Crossroads. p. iii
Contents
About This Publication-------------------------v The Paleo Indian Era---------------------------1 (9500 B.C. to 8000 B.C.) The Archaic Era--------------------------------7 (8000 B.C. to 500 B.C.) The Woodland Era-------------------------------19 (500 B.C. to A.D. 900) The Mississippian Era--------------------------29 (A.D. 900 to A.D. 1541) The Historic Era-------------------------------39 (A.D. 1541 to A.D. 1850) Suggestions for Further Reading----------------45 Slide Sets-------------------------------------55 Videotapes-------------------------------------57
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