First Men in the Ohio Valley: An anthropological review of the first 10,000 years of human history in the mid-Ohio valley.: Volume 1 - Softcover

The "First men in the Ohio" is a new idea in combining both technical information with an interesting presentation. I have brought a new focus to otherwise highly detailed commentary, and hopefully made it an interesting read for the accomplished student of history, and the new collector / researcher of related facts. In this first of two Volumes you will get acquainted with the Ohio River valley, which is the focus of my effort. It is within this river system that the most important Native American societies were founded and grew into a vast Woodland Empire. The connected river systems were just a critical part of their world as they are today. Goods and materials were moved throughout the Mid West United States on a regular basis. Flint from Flint Ridge Ohio and other sources of workable cherts were traded to most of North America. Cargoes of shells, copper, minerals, and native hard woods were just a few of the raw and finished materials that joined the list of trade goods that moved along the water ways to the farthest corners of this realm. The first men that came thru this region were "hunter-gatherers", they moved with the herds of Bison, caribou, elk, and the occasional Mammoths that were grazing along the tundra style landscape, beside the retreating glaciers. Their stone tools and camp hearths are the only record of their passing. As times and landscape changed, these hunters began to settle into a more defined life style that allowed the discipline of civilization and communities to grow. It is from these small steps that the great societies of the "Adena", and "Hopewell" were born. Mystics, artisans, agricultural developement, and leadership walked with these people they were developing into a series of densely populated centers like "Angel Mounds, Fort Ancient, Fort Hill,and Chakoia", all these sites became centers of art, & industry, and their form of political power. The Mid West became the cross roads of this empire, and this is part of their story.

My working life is in a number of venues, mechanical design, pharmaceutical development, petro-chemicals, Aero Space, Jet engine engineering in military, commercial, industrial applications, and in architectural / structural design. This background has given me the ability to “reverse-engineer” artifacts into what they once were before time had its way with them. “Archaic Arts” has presented the market with hundreds of accurate reproductions, for over nineteen years, museums, educational programs, outreach, state & national parks, artists, film studios, and historic re enactors have made use of reproductions from my shop. Living history has seen a boom-time in new technologies in the video venue but some things are meant only to be seen and handled in real life pieces of our history. The demand has risen for quality reproductions to take the place of museum originals for insurance expenses; this has created the demand for my works and that of others in this new market. The preservation of our working history is a close held passion.