The combination of river bottoms and wooded hillsides in Shawnee Lookout made it a highly attractive site for prehistoric settlement. As a result, the lands included in the district have a long record of aboriginal residency: artifacts found in the district's sites span a range of ten thousand years.[3] These artifacts represent many cultures, including various Archaic peoples, the Hopewell tradition, and other Woodland period peoples.[4] Among the artifacts found at one of the sites are a wide range of biological remains, such as bird bones, fish bones, walnuts, turtle shells, and deer bones.[3] In recognition of the archaeological value of the sites composing the district, Shawnee Lookout was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.[1]