 The history of human activity in Indiana , a US state in the Midwest , began with migratory tribes of Native Americans who inhabited Indiana as early as 8000 BC . Tribes succeeded one another in dominance for several thousand years and reached their peak of development during the period of Mississippian culture . The region entered recorded history in the 1670s when the French established trading posts and missions in the region. kwietniu 1679 French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle , reached the mouth of the Wabash River and claimed the region for France.
In 1680 , the French established