In Porter County, Indiana, this sand ridge beside an old channel of the Kankakee River occupied a rare easy crossing of the Kankakee Marsh long known as Pottawatommie Ford. Its dry, well-drained ground drew repeated use from the Early Archaic around 9000 B.C. into modern times, leaving chipped stone tools, prehistoric ceramics from nearly every regional period, roasting pits, and other camp features. Historic remains show trading, trapping, and settlement activity, including evidence of fur processing and an undocumented structure. After George Eaton established a ferry in 1836, the crossing evolved through bridges, hunting lodges, an inn, store, and residence, preserving an unusually compact record of northwestern Indiana history.