The history of American Indians in Licking County goes back 14,000 years, and countless generations of native people spent full and varied lives in this area. Archaeologists identify some of the best known as the Hopewell, who left monumental earthworks, including the Newark Earthworks 11 miles away. Vanport, or Flint Ridge, flint contributed significantly to this rich human history. At Flint Ridge Ancient Quarries and Nature Preserve, a layer of flint 10-12 feet thick stretches for 8 miles east to west and 3 miles north to south. This deposit is so large that it shapes the landscape by influencing how and where trees grow and fall, and 14,000 years of quarrying by the people who originally lived here changed the area's ecology. Vanport flint formed at the bottom of an ocean millions of years ago, and its unique properties made it a valuable material for crafting tools for ancient American Indians and early European settlers. The quarries and workshops at Flint Ridge are the traces of Ohio's first industry, where flint was dug from the ground and shaped into many kinds of tools. Studying flint tools found in this area, including how they were made and used, provides insight into the American Indian people who lived in central Ohio prior to European contact. The ancient flint quarries have become vernal pools, temporary wetlands now home to a variety of plants and animals, and the flint layer just a few feet under the soil greatly influences how trees in the area grow.