Often as I did when young, I get a little eccentric and spend a day walking around staring at the ground.  One of the helmets used by De Soto's men, was unearthed just east of here, a spill of the purest silver ever measured at UMC also came from near here. From the amount of artifacts found in the area (west of Little River, East of Crowley's Ridge, South of Poplar Bluff, MO to Doniphan, MO line, and North of the St. Francis Sunken Lands WMA, the area had to be densely populated.  Maybe more than live here now, almost certainly more than the present population.  Which I know not, off the top of my head, so I go to look it up.  DeSoto's group reported large fields of 5mi x 8mi size.  Each would have about 10,360 hectares.  1 Hectare using seeds and equipment, that the first nations of the time used yielded enough for 13.2 people for one year.  That was on ground, north of the Ohio river, sandy loam like the area here. Shorter growing season.  So the people in this area should have done better.  Anyway each field could support about 141,000 people.  🌽🫘🌶️

   I have to dig though notes and reference this.  Which will have to include fighting my way back through sections of DeSoto's expedition in Portuguese. Wish my Spanish was not decades old. 🙃 How many large fields were reported, will be goal.

It makes sense for the area to be the bread basket for a large area.  Down the St. Francis would put you on the MS river just south of Memphis. Up the Little River, with short portage where Portageville, MO is now, and you hit MS river just south of New Madrid, MO,  just a short hop to Ohio River.  

The Voyageurs, North Canoes had the capacity to carry 3500 lbs. plus 25/30 bales of goods.🦮  Transport = 90 bales of 90 lbs. each, along with a crew of 8/12 men, their equipment and a few passengers.  🐕‍🦺

🌽🫘🌶️ Schroeder, Sissel; Man's productivity in the eastern woodlands, and central plains of North America, (American Antiquity) Vol 64; No.3, July 1999, page 512.

🐕‍🦺  McGill University,  History - Trading posts.   slight problem here with load possible results.  If someone has firm numbers please point me the correct direction. 

🦮 Voyageurs - National Park Service.