Glenwood culture facts for kids
The Glenwood Culture was a group of Indigenous peoples who lived a long time ago, before written history in North America. They were part of a larger group called the Nebraska Phase, which was active during the Woodland period. The Glenwood Culture was different from the Mississippian culture that lived further south.
Who Were the Glenwood People?
The Glenwood Culture lived in parts of Iowa and eastern Nebraska. They were around from about 900 A.D. to 1300 A.D. These people were skilled builders. They created hundreds of special homes called earthlodges in the area.
They were also good farmers. They grew crops in the rich valley bottoms near rivers. They also gathered wild plants from the nearby hills. Their way of life was connected to the land around them.
How They Lived and Traded
Many Glenwood sites have been found in southwest Iowa, close to the Missouri River. These places are famous for their large earthlodge villages. The Glenwood people seemed to have stronger connections with cultures to their west, like those from the Plains Village period. They traded and shared ideas more with these western groups than with the Mississippian cultures to the southeast.
Around the year 1300 A.D., the Glenwood Culture, along with the Mill Creek sites in Iowa, began to disappear. Other groups, like the Oneota cultures, became more common in the region.
Discovering the Past: Archaeology
Archaeologists study the remains of past cultures to learn about them. In Glenwood, Iowa, you can see a replica of an earthlodge. This helps us imagine how the Glenwood people lived. It is located in the Glenwood Lake Park.
The Mills County Museum, also at the park, has many artifacts. These are items like tools and pottery found from Glenwood sites. They were collected by a famous amateur archaeologist named Paul Rowe.
Two important Glenwood Culture sites in Iowa are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are the Glenwood Archeological District and the West Oak Forest Earthlodge Site. These places are protected so we can keep learning about this ancient culture.
