People of the Late Prehistoric Period chose to live year-round in the Kathio villages because of exceptional access to food resources. Wild rice and bison were the staples of their diet, with wild rice growing in Ogechie Lake and bison hunting reachable by a short canoe trip. They also used abundant other resources, including deer, elk, beaver, muskrat, fish, and waterfowl. At the Wilford site, many different plant species used by the villagers were identified, and all of them were wild except squash.