Archaeological evidence from Wister Valley suggests that prehistoric people lived there as early as 1500 BC, sustaining life through daily hunting and gathering wild plants before gradually cultivating crops such as corn and squash and eventually developing full-scale farming. Evidence of these people disappears after 700-800 AD. In 1719, early explorer Bernard LaHarpe wrote that the area was abandoned except for occasional Native American hunting parties. Their departure remains uncertain, though drought may have forced them to leave their crops and move to the plains to hunt buffalo, and archaeologists continue searching for answers.