Lidar Reveals Largest Precolonial Indigenous Farming System Michigan

Recent archaeological research using drone-based lidar technology has uncovered an extensive ancient agricultural system in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, revealing the largest preserved pre-Columbian farming network in the eastern United States. The raised ridge garden beds, built by ancestors of the Menominee Indian Tribe, span over 330 acres and were used to cultivate corn, beans, squash, and other crops for around 600 years starting roughly 1,000 years ago. This discovery challenges previous assumptions that the region's cold climate and short growing season were unsuitable for large-scale farming, as well as the notion that such agriculture required hierarchical societies, showing instead that egalitarian communities achieved significant land management through collective organization and labor. The site, known as Anaem Omot or Sixty Islands, also includes burial mounds and culturally significant features, underscoring its sacred importance to the Menominee people. Despite its cultural and historical significance, the site faces threats from proposed mining operations. These findings reshape the understanding of Indigenous agriculture and social organization in precolonial North America, highlighting advanced farming practices long before European contact.