Editing Mineral County, West Virginia (section)

===Ancient history===
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[[Indigenous peoples]] lived throughout the highlands along rivers in this area for thousands of years. [[Archeologists]] have identified artifacts of the [[Adena culture]], dating from 1000 BC to 200 BC. They were among the several early Native American cultures who built major [[Earthworks (archaeology)|earthwork mounds]] for ceremonial and burial use. Remnants of their culture have been found throughout West Virginia. They were followed by other indigenous peoples.

With the growth of fur trading to the north after European encounter in the coastal areas, the nations of the ''[[Haudenosaunee]]'' (or Iroquois Confederacy), based in present-day New York, moved into the Ohio Valley in search of new hunting grounds. By the 17th century they had conquered other tribes, pushed them out to the west, and preserved the area for hunting.