
50 Years of Archeology at the Apostle Islands
As we look to the future of the Lakeshore, this knowledge will inform preservation planning and further study for ...

The earliest evidence of human presence on the Apostle Islands dates to approximately 5,000 years ago when seasonal fishers utilized the cluster of islands that we call the Apostles and that the Ojibwe people call the Wenabozho Islands.
From these early peoples to the park visitors of today, successive generations have left their imprint on the islands, resulting in a rich tapestry of cultural resources and human experiences.
This presentation will look at the Lakeshore’s half century of efforts to study, understand, and steward these resources as well as the constant interplay between the island landscape, Lake Superior, and the islands’ human inhabitants.

David Cooper is Apostle Islands National Lakeshore’s cultural resource manager and archaeologist.
He has also served as archaeologist and Chief of Resource Management for Grand Portage National Monument, ten years as State Underwater Archaeologist for the Wisconsin Historical Society, and Underwater Archaeologist for the US Navy.
He has done archaeological work across the United States, as well as in Great Britain and the Caribbean. His academic training includes undergraduate work at UWMadison and University of Warwick (UK), and graduate work at East Carolina University. He has worked for the National Park Service for 22 years and lives in Bayfield, WI.




















Share this article…
Bands of elk are not the only ones to gather in Estes Park, Colorado this autumn. The gateway city to Rocky Mountains...
Purple loosestrife flower headHundreds of vibrant magenta or purple flowers standing three to seven feet tall over...
What do the Apostle Islands, Great Basin National Park, Glacier National Park, Friends of Acadia, the Virgin Islands,...