The prehistory of Jackson County is particulary rich with native American culture.  Our proximity to both the Mississippi and the Ohio rivers made this area ideal for their settlement.  The waterways were their equivalent to our highway system, with the Mississippi and Ohio being the most significant waterways in the country.  

Archeologist have since discovered several settlements along the Mississippi flood plain of our county.  They have unearthed numerous artifacts in and around these settements, and have occasionally found petroglyph sites nearby.  A petroglyph, or rock art, is an art form practiced by our native inhabitants where they would paint, grind, chisel or carve images into rock faces.  This medium created sturdy images that last for centuries, especially when left undisturbed.  There are hundreds of petroglyphs scattered throughout the county and these photographs are from a few of the major sites.   Petroglyphs are commonly thought as one of the more enigmatic aspects of native American culture.  Their crude forms and abstract symbols make it easy to draw a variety of meanings.  One thing for sure, though, is that these sites were highly revered by the inhabitants of those times.  The sites are rich with ritualistic and religous meaning and are often accompanied by graves.