What brought the first people in the area of Oklahoma

110 Mil BP - In Oklahoma the plant eating Tenontosaurus roamed the area along with the meat-eating Deinonychus. Fossils of both together were found in 1999. (SFC, 2/23/99, p. A4)

110 Million - Fossils of Sauroposeidon proteles, a 60-ton, 60-foot tall dinosaur, were found in 1994 near Antlers, Okla. (SFC, 11/4/99, p. A8) 500-1300 AD - Spiro Indians, linked to the Aztecs, thrived and left burial mounds filled with exquisite artwork and clues to their way of life. A museum displaying their artifacts is near Spiro. 1012 - Viking explorers visited eastern Oklahoma and left their mark near the town of Heavener.

AD 900-1400 - Farming and hunting people from this time in Oklahoma prehistory settled along major rivers and creeks. They planted corn, beans and squash in the fertile flood plains, hunted bison and deer, and fished and gathered mussels from the rivers. Four of these cultures have been defined in western and southern Oklahoma. Since we have no written records from this time, the names of these cultures are unknown. When early Spanish explorers came in the 1500's, they found people who called themselves the Teyas and the Escanjaques. Perhaps the people discussed here also used these names several hundred years earlier. Archeologists believe the Teyas and Escanjaques are descendants of the people discussed on these pages. They are all believed to have been Caddoan speakers.

1540 - Hernando de Soto (1500-1542) explores Oklahoma in search of gold

1541 - Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (1510-1554) explores Oklahoma