Humans have occupied Virginia for 16,000 years. Relatively little is known of the earliest, Paleo-Indians or “hunter-gatherers” who arrived after the Ice Age.  We do know, however,  that they lived by hunting bison, mastodon, and elk  in small groups or “bands,” and by foraging for edible and medicinal plants.

Pieces of Clovis Projectile Points have been found on Government Island and at Ferry Farm indicating that “hunter-gatherers” were in Stafford County around 13,000 years ago.  10,000 years ago (Archaic-period), these groups became more reliant on plant life and smaller animals such as deer, turkeys, and turtles.