According to professional geologists, the Red River of the North has only existed in its current form for about 7,000 years. Before that, it was a cold glacial lake among other similar lakes. Prehistoric people lived along the shores, notably The Minnesota Woman. Only because of a temporary climate shift did this landscape change into what we see today. Are we now witnesses to another shift, a climatic course correction?
The Minnesota Woman knew something that we refuse to acknowledge. She did not expect the landscape to remain static; nor did she expect the landscape to contort around her preferred lifestyle. Her humble life was based on adaptation to the land, not the other way around. Asking little of the land, hoping for a warm fire and a bountiful food cache, she left few marks; but her legacy is an important antidote for modern hubris.