The relatively flat land, rich soils, and ample water supply of the Little Miami River valley attracted people in both prehistoric and historic times. The Adena people inhabited this area from approximately 800 B.C. to A.D. 100. Their culture belonged to the early Woodland period and differed from preceding Archaic cultures through innovations and traits that included pottery, horticulture, a more sedentary lifestyle, substantial houses, and an extensive burial cult involving mound construction. Elk Lick Mound has been identified as an Adena mound chiefly because of its conical shape and location, both typical early Woodland traits. This small burial mound, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, remains as a reminder of a culture that lived in and loved the land now known as Ohio centuries ago.