History Fact Finder | Exploration and Settlement - When And How Did The First People Migrate To The Western Hemisphere?

When and how did the first people migrate to the Western Hemisphere?

Paleoanthropologists (scientists who study fossil remains of ancient peoples) speculate that a group called Paleo-Indians migrated to the Western Hemisphere (North and South America and the surrounding waters) from Asia during two periods: the first, between 50,000 and 40,000 B.C.; and the second, between 26,000 and 8,000 B.C. Scholars believe that during the Pleistocene glacial epoch (the late Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 B.C.) a natural bridge over the present-day Bering Strait connected North America (Alaska) and Asia (Russia). It was over this bridge that the first people were able to migrate. After their arrival the Paleo-Indians moved throughout North and South America. By 8,000 B.C. primitive hunters were living in Tierra del Fuego, which forms the southernmost part of South America.

Further Information: Hirst, K....

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