Oh, but they did. You've likely never heard of the Iroquois Nation or the Mississippian Empire because the white folk that settled in here found it in their best interest to deny or ignore organized civilization.

In 1491 (the year before Columbus) the largest city on earth was right near where St. Louis is today. They controlled the entire Mississippi valley on both sides of the river from the Gulf of Mexico to near where the Canada border is today.

There is some suggestion that the Pueblo people that this place represents were possibly an offshoot of the Mississippian culture due to their fondness for water and their extreme organization. It could be.