Archeological evidence suggests human activity on Daufuskie Island as early as 12,000 B.C., with seasonal habitation tied to the harvesting of coastal resources. Early European inhabitants also recognized the importance of the coastal waterways for navigation and transportation, using the tidal waters as an intracoastal highway between Charleston and Savannah. Later improvements formalized and extended this inland water route, and this section of the Cooper River became a small portion of what is now the Intracoastal Waterway, a 3,000 mile long inland shipping channel stretching along the East and Gulf Coasts. The Atlantic portion extends from Norfolk to Key West, passing Daufuskie Island on its journey south.