The wooded lands of the park were home to several early Ohio Indian cultures. While the Hopewells inhabited several sites in the

state, their earthworks (known as Fort Ancient) on the nearby Little Miami River are among the largest and best known. This

hilltop enclosure used for ceremonial gatherings is surrounded by three miles of earthen walls, constructed using animal

shoulder-blade scoops and hides for transporting dirt. This Indian race lived in the region during a period from 300 B.C. to 600

A.D.

A later group, living on the site from 1200 A.D. to 1600 A.D., were known as the Fort Ancient Indians. These people lived in

villages along several river systems in the region including Caesar Creek. Displays about the Hopewell mounds and the later

cultures can be seen at the Army Corps of Engineers' Visitor Center.

Woodland Indian tribes such as the Wyandot, Miami and Shawnee also called southwestern Ohio home. Old Chillicothe where the

famous warrior Tecumseh was said to have been born was located in Greene County, just north of the park. The Caesar Creek

area was named for a black slave captured by the Shawnee on a raid along the Ohio River. The Shawnee adopted Caesar and

gave him this valley as his hunting ground. Caesar lived in this area during the time Blue Jacket was war chief and was said to

have gone on many raids with him.

Many of these Indian villages were located along an ancient Indian trail, part of which follows the ridgeline on the eastern side of

the Caesar Creek valley. The trail was used by white settlers in the early 1800s, who named it Bullskin Trace. Later the trail

became part of the Underground Railroad used by runaway slaves to reach safe houses run by area Quakers.

The Caesar Creek valley was impounded in 1978 by the Army Corps of Engineers to assist with flood control in the Little Miami

River watershed. The 4,700-acre park and adjacent 2,500-acre wildlife area were dedicated that year.