A memorable drive is a visit to Fort Ancient on the Miami River valley. The Fort Ancient State Memorial is on the National Register of Historic Places due to its importance in telling the story of Native cultures in America. The site contains original earthen mounds and a plateau enclosed by large “embankment walls” built.
The Hopewell tradition dates to 200 BC to AD 500 along fertile rivers in the Northeast and Midwest, as the map below shows (Wikipedia, 2016). The mounds are part of the Woodland period, and scientists believe they were used for ceremonial purposes (World Heritage Ohio, Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, 2016).