The vast majority of artifacts uncovered at the Garrison site are from the Late Archaic and Early Woodland periods, about 1,000 B.C. Several innovations during this period helped to broaden the types of food available. During the Woodland Period, pottery was introduced and plants started to be cultivated. The use of pottery expanded the types of food that could be cooked over a hearth and stored. Corn/maize, squash, beans and sunflowers were domesticated.

During the Late Woodland Period (1,500 to 1,000 years ago), the invention of the bow and arrow allowed for hunting from a distance, rather than the requirement to sneak up on an animal.

At the Garrison Site, there is evidence of butchering, meat and hide processing, woodworking, bone/antler working and stone tool manufacturing. Archaeologists uncovered points, knives, drills, pottery, cooking hearths, carbonized plants and debris from the manufacture of stone tools.