Archaeological evidence of intensive indigenous farming in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, USA.

We describe archaeological evidence of intensive ancestral Native American agriculture in the now heavily forested Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Recent LIDAR (light detection and ranging) and excavation data have uncovered densely clustered ancient agricultural raised garden bed ridges covering an expanse far greater than previously realized. These raised agricultural fields are deeply enmeshed in the broader cultural landscape, as ceremonial and other features were also found. Our results demonstrate a rich anthropogenic landscape created by small-scale ancestral Menominee communities, located near the northern limits of maize agriculture. The excellent preservation of this site is exceptional in eastern North America and suggests that the precolonial landscape was more anthropogenically influenced than currently recognized. Editor's summary: Between 1000 and 1600 CE, maize was intensively grown by Indigenous peoples in the Americas. However, it was originally a tropical to subtropical plant, and most of its production was believed to have occurred in similar environments. McLeester et al. used a suite of approaches, including remote spatial measurements and excavation, to explore a Menominee site in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, revealing evidence of extensive maize agriculture and associated cultural complexity even at the most northern extent of its viability. —Sacha Vignieri [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]