Before Mackenzie Reservoir covered this area, evidence of human occupancy was found at 77 recorded archeological sites. The earliest artifacts date back 10,000 years to a bison kill. Prehistoric occupancy is indicated by burial sites, shallow hearths, and stone tools. Gun flints, glass beads, and metal objects confirm 18th century European contact. By 1874 Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie's 4th Cavalry had driven the Indians from the Tule Canyon area, which had been a lush grazing ground for buffalo and antelope.