American mastodon and the giant beaver, species adapted to boreal woodlands, were present at this time. By 12,000 years ago birch, alder, black ash and fir were replacing the boreal forest. By 11,000 years ago a deciduous forests of oak, elm, green ash, maple, ironwood, basswood and walnut had become dominant (Anfinson, 1997). Pollen analysis also indicates that significant prairie openings existed. This deciduous forest interspersed with prairie covered the area for the next 2,000 years. It has not yet been determined if larger fauna species such as bison associated with prairies to the west inhabited these prairies of this region. Cultural Patterns: Early Paleo Cultures, 11,500-10,500 BP Eleven fluted points in the Owen Johnson collection indicate that humans entered the area possibly as early as 12,000 years ago (Clouse 1992). One of the points is a Clovis point, six are Folsoms, and four were Holcombe and Burroughs points.  The six Folsoms indicate an affiliation with the plains cultures to the west. However, dominance of the region by deciduous forest with sporadic prairies during this period was considerably different from the Folsom hunting grounds farther west. This suggests that a different subsistence strategy may have been utilized by Folsom hunters living in or transiting the region. The Holcombe and Burroughs points are regional fluted types found around the Great Lakes and indicate a fluted subculture which had evolved into a northern tradition perhaps utilizing northern fauna such as caribou (Cleland, 1992). No mammoth or mastodon kill sites have been reported in the area, but the presence of at least six mammoth/mastodon remains have been found within the Albert Lea city limits (none of which were investigated for evidence of processing) is intriguing. Late Paleo Cultures, 10,500-9,000 BP  The Minnesota Historical Society archaeologist/ author of the Owen Johnson report noted that "the collection contains the largest number of Paleo-Indian projectile points in Minnesota known to the author" (Clouse, 1992). The collection includes 195 points from the Late Paleo period. Hellgap points are the most numerous and make up 34 percent of the Late Paleo points. Agate Basins are the next 30 percent. Plainview, Midland, Angostura and Milnesand points were also identified.  All Plano lanceolate form points combined comprise 77 percent of the Late Paleo points and indicate a cultural affiliation with the Paleo Piano Indian cultures of the Great Plains

Late Paleo points right to left: Rochester (Hell Gap variant), Hell Gap and a Dalton, all found in Freeborn County, Minnesota.   Early Archaic points Top center: Logan Creek point from Freeborn County, Minnesota. Left: Tama point from Goodhue County, a Little Sioux found in Freeborn County, and a Raddatz from Mower County in Minnesota. >Page 16>