Events c. 175 AD: Funeral offerings in graves at the Norton Mounds in Michigan are elaborate. Materials imported from great distances indicate vigorous trade. c. 550 AD: In the Upper Mississippi and Great Lakes areas, Woodland peoples construct their burial mounds in the shape of birds or animals. c. 985-1014 AD: Norsemen, including Eric the Red and Leif Erikson, set up outposts in North America and encounter Eskimos, Beothuks, and Micmacs.
