Mille Lacs Kathio State Park on Mille Lacs Lake preserves one of Minnesota’s most important archaeological landscapes, with nineteen identified sites spanning from about 3000 BC to 1750 AD. Evidence from the Archaic period includes copper tool manufacture, showing very early human use of the area. The site is closely tied to Dakota history and later Ojibwe-Dakota relations, including traditions of conflict and changing control of the region. Its name evolved from a misreading of the Dakota name Izatys after Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut’s visit in 1679. Despite heavy logging after the 1850s, the area retained exceptional significance and was named a National Historic Landmark in 1964.