Paleoindians, the true discoverers of America, came into Ohio at least 14,000 years ago.
It was the tail end of the Ice Age, and mastodons and short-faced bears still roamed the landscape. The ancient American Indians sometimes hunted the mastodons, but probably did their best to steer clear of the short-faced bears.
Archaeologists who study Paleoindians face many challenges. Because these people were hunters and gatherers who lived in small groups and seldom stayed in one place for very long, the traces they left behind are mostly few and far between.
And things made from perishable materials, such as baskets, are not likely to have survived after 14,000 years. This means there is usually little left for archaeologists to find other than a few scattered stone tools. (There is an old saying that while love is fleeting, stone tools are forever.)