Between 1000 and 1200, the Oneota, ancestors of the Winnebago and Ioway, occupied a village here. They chose the site to make the best use of the area for farming, fishing, hunting, transportation, and defense. The village was surrounded by a stockade and inhabited by 50 to 100 people. In 1979, archaeologists and students from the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse excavated the site.