Copper Culture State Park, Archaeological state park in Oconto, United States
Copper Culture State Park is an archaeological site with excavated burial grounds and settlement areas stretching along the Oconto River in Wisconsin. The park combines natural riverside landscape with a museum building that displays artifacts recovered from the ground.
Research in the 1950s established that human communities lived and buried their dead at this location more than 7,000 years ago. This discovery identified it as one of the oldest documented burial sites in eastern North America.
The site reflects how indigenous people worked copper into tools and ornaments that shaped their daily survival and social practices. Visitors can observe the tangible results of these crafts through displayed artifacts from the excavations.
The grounds are easy to walk with marked pathways and a museum building open seasonally for viewing collections on site. Visitors should allow time to explore both the outdoor archaeological areas and the indoor exhibits at a comfortable pace.
Excavations uncovered numerous prehistoric copper objects including spear tips, fishing hooks, and ornaments made from diverse materials. These finds reveal that inhabitants mastered metalworking techniques thousands of years before such skills appeared elsewhere on the continent.
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