Over the past 12,000 years, humans have inhabited and used Salmon Hole. This human history in the area can be expanded to encompass the human history of the Winooski itself, which derives from the Abenaki word Winooskiok (land of the wild onions). Since Salmon Hole is marginally inland from Lake Champlain, it’s water flow is slow and steady, allowing for easy human access to the area; therefore, it also has important attributes to sustain human involvement there. The large bay in bent shape in the park allowed for fish to spawn there (salmon, alewives, and shad were typical species that inhabited the area). Thus, it supported a fishing industry in the area not only in Salmon Hole but also on Lake Champlain, since fish could safely reproduce and migrate to Lake Champlain. The human remnants in the area, namely the bridge over the Winooski and the manmade waterfall, along with the industrial buildings along the river, also demonstrate the industrial/farming aspect of human history in Salmon Hole and the greater Winooski area.
The general area of Salmon Hole, specifically its relative location surrounding the Burlington area and Lake Champlain, has appealed to humans due to the warmer climate (reinforced by climate change), resulting in longer and more bountiful growing/harvest seasons. further, the biodiversity of the area is higher due to the extended elevation gradients- there are also many resources in the area (trees, water, good soil, etc.)