Timeline of Ontario History - Earliest Years

Earliest Years

• 10,000 BCE Early Paleo Peoples lived in the spruce woodlands of Southwestern Ontario with mastodons and mammoths. People living in this time period, referred to by archeologists as Early Paleo-Indian, created and used stone tools.
• 8,500 BCE Late Paleo Peoples inhabited the now boreal pine forests of Southwestern Ontario hunting caribou, arctic fox and rabbit or hare with darts and spear throwers made from materials obtained through trade or travel with others at great distances. People living in this time period are referred to by archeologists as Late Paleo-Indian
• 8,000 - 800 BCE During the Archaic Period, the climate warmed further. People living in the deciduous forests of Southwestern Ontario, hunted a wide variety of woodland animals. Deer and fish were important to their survival. The caribou had moved north.Larger trade networks were established, extending as far as the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic seaboard. Tools now included: nets, weirs, bows, arrows, and implements made of copper People also fashioned copper into beads and bracelets.
• 900 BCE to 1610 CE During the Woodland Era, pottery was first created. In the middle years, two distinct cultural groups emerged:Princess Point, and Riviere au Vase.
• 600-800 CE Ontario Haudenosaunee (Iroquoian) Tradition Princess Point culture began focusing on horticulture—specifically the "Three Sisters" (corn, beans, and squash)—forming a complex matrilineal society. During this same period, the Western Riviere au Vase culture established a patrilineal Anishnaabe(Algonquin) society, continuing to follow a traditional seasonal migratory lifestyle