Timeline 1600

Remarks: The discovery of a "New World" presented some interesting problems IMO. While Europeans fought over who would own, dominate & inhabit, it seems absurd that no one considered that this "New World" was already inhabited. Altho agreements were made among Native Americans identifying hunting boundaries, etc., they did not share the same "ownership" concepts as the Europeans. The land, like the sun and the sky, after all, belonged to Creator.

Another thought, while I agree in some instances of describing Native Americans as being "primitive", I really think folks need to re-examine the use of the word "savage". In 1603 Samuel de CHAMPLAIN (1567-1635) published his 80 page "Des Sauvages". George PERCY used that term; so did the Jesuits. The term, "savage" is freely sprinkled throughout the annals of early America. Too bad. Read the dictionary definition of the word, go back and RE-read your history and form your own opinion. I did. Our early Native Americans were NOT savages. MOO.

Navigate the Centuries:

Timeline 1500
Timeline 1600
Timeline 1700
Timeline 1800

1600

East. Tadoussac had long been an important gathering place for various Indian groups of that region of Quebec, Canada. The first Europeans to come to Tadoussac were Basque whalers. Basque and Breton fishermen were attracted to the natural harbor of Tadoussac as well as the abundance of cod, seal, whale & other natural resources of the gulf of the St. Lawrence. Basque, Spanish, English, Dutch & Portuguese all had a presence at Tadoussac at some time.

The indigenous Montagnais of Tadoussac had been trading with Europeans for over fifty years when French merchant, Francois Grave DUPONT, built a trading post at Tadoussac. A permanent site for his company would be a huge trading advantage over rivals obliged to make the journey from Europe; or so it would seem. When DUPONT returned to France with a cargo of furs this first year, he left sixteen men behind at the trading post. Eleven died in the harsh winter. The rest went to live with the Montagnais-Naskapi.

Europe. With the popularity of beaver hats, the demand for pelts was extreme.

1603

East. Having received a pension from King Henri IV of France the previous year, Samuel de CHAMPLAIN, the Baron de Poutrincourt, now embarked upon a mapping mission as the king's official geographer. He accompanied Francois Grave DUPONT on a fur-trading enterprise to the New World. CHAMPLAIN explored the Richelieu, Saguenay and St Lawrence Rivers, as far as present-day Montreal.

Europe. When ELIZABETH I , Queen of England , died on 24 March, her cousin James STUART, King of Scotland, also became King James I of England. It is written that many Catholics hated him passionately.

HENRI IV, King of France, granted Pierre DUGUA, the Sieur de Monts exclusive rights to colonize lands in North America between 40�-46� north latitude. The King also gave him a monopoly in the fur trade for these territories. HENRI appointed DUGUA as Lieutenant General for Acadia and New France. In return, DUGUA promised to bring 60 new colonists each year to what would be called l'Acadie (Acadia). Samuel de Champlain, the Baron de Poutrincourt, was named Vice-Admiral of France.

CHAMPLAIN & DUGUA had been friends for years. Both grew up in the same region (Charente-Maritime d�partement) south of La Rochelle, France. And both had already been to the New World. With DUGUA having exclusive rights of the fur trade monopoly, CHAMPLAIN & DUGUA began making plans for a permanent settlement in New France. (They would learn that "Royal patents were worthless as the Basques ignored them and made off with most of the fur trade". Even so, the patents seemed to have greatly influenced the CHAMPLAIN & DUGUA team.)

1604

East. Samuel de CHAMPLAIN, Pierre du Gua, Sieur de Monts (DUGUA) & 78 settlers journeyed to the area in New France called "Acadia", which encompassed Nova Scotia, northern Maine, all of New Brunswick, St. Edward�s Island (called Ile St.Jean by the French), Cape Breton Island (Ile Royale), the Magdalen Islands in the Bay of St. Lawrence, and the southern coast of the Gaspe peninsula in present-day Quebec province. King HENRI IV of France had granted CHAMPLAIN & DUGUA, dba The De Monts Trading Company, "extensive rights to settlement, trade, and fishery". The venture was actually a commercial enterprise bankrolled by an association of merchants, both Catholic and Protestant, back in France. Of note is that among this group of settlers were a Catholic priest & a Huguenot minister.

CHAMPLAIN explored and mapped the coast of Maine, and went as far west as the Kennebec River. His party crossed the Bay of Fundy & settled on an island (Dorchet/St. Croix) at the mouth of the St. Croix River. This location (Passamaquoddy Bay) is at the present-day border of Maine & New Brunswick. Here, buildings were erected using timbers, doors, and windows brought from France. DUGUA explained he selected this island location for their winter home because he determined it would be safe from Indian attacks. That winter the inhabitants of St.Croix quickly exhausted the limited natural resources on the island; & ice flows prevented anyone from leaving. The settlement endured a very harsh first winter. Thirty-five people died.

1605

East. CHAMPLAIN explored the northeast coast down to Massachusetts Bay. Going ashore at Cape Cod's Orleans Cove, CHAMPLAIN was impressed with what he saw except he felt "too many people already lived there". CHAMPLAIN's party went back north, landing in Nova Scotia at an inlet on the south shore of Baie Fran�aise, which CHAMPLAIN named Port Royal. This became the first permanent French settlement in Canada.

All the buildings at St. Croix, except one, were taken down and re-erected at Port Royal. A new supply ship came, along with 40 new colonists. Conditions were better at Fort Port Royal overall. Even so, this second winter claimed another 12 people. Two of these, a Catholic priest & a Protestant minister, died of scurvy at the same time. It is written that they frequently quarreled in life, sometimes even striking each other. The two were buried in the same grave "to see if they could rest in peace when dead".

Europe. DUGUA returned to France to attend to financial matters. Backers were becoming impatient. The company had failed to get sufficient trade relationships to be profitable. Also, they had failed to find harbors suitable for settlement.

1606

East. The Dutch probed the St. Lawrence River in search of fur, in defiance of the French monopoly. Their ship, Witteleeuw, captured two French vessels and took quantities of whale oil, guns & codfish from Spanish and Portuguese ships. Conflicts also arose with the Basque fur-traders.

CHAMPLAIN returned to the place at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, he had visited in 1605. He was looking for trading partners; but the indigenous Nauset were not interested in trade, only in getting rid of the intruders. The Nauset tolerated the French for two weeks before launching a surprise attack killing 5 or 6 Frenchmen in a volley of arrows. The French left, going back to the north.

Europe. The Susan Constant, the Goodspeed & the Discovery set sail from England to Virginia. Thus began the adventures of Jamestown Colony, Virginia.

In France, things did not go well for DUGUA initially. His grant was revoked. Financial backers began to withdraw. Since it was the fur trade that would make money for them, they felt upset about the emphasis on colonization. Just as it seemed DUGUA's fur trade monopoly was struck down he was granted a one-year extension plus reinforcements for the Port Royal settlement. Baron Jean de BIENCOURT de Poutrincourt was named governor of Acadia.

1607

East. English adventurers arrived at Cape Henry, Virginia; & Old Dominion was founded. John SMITH, from the new Jamestown Colony, led a food-gathering expedition up the Chickahominy River where the group encountered "300 bowmen". A fight ensued. Lives were lost. SMITH was captured by OPECHANCANOUGH, King of Pamunkey (Tuckahoe - a term meaning "Root Digger"). SMITH was taken to POWHATAN (whose proper name is Wahunsunacock or Wahunsenacawh), Chief of Chiefs, on the York River at Werowocomoco. POWHATAN is said to be the half-brother of OPECHANCANOUGH.

Fort St. George (Popham Colony) was established by the Plymouth Company near the mouth of the Kennebec River in Maine. The settlement lasted little more than a year before residents returned to England.

In Canada, Port Royal was prospering in agriculture, fishing & fur trading. Upon learning from France that the De Monts fur trading monopoly had been revoked, however, Port Royal was quickly (almost) abandoned. Most everyone returned to France. "The longest and most elaborate post-Viking settlement of Europeans on the North American continent north of Florida was abandoned�in the same year that Jamestown was established by an English company of merchants 800 miles to the south in Virginia."

1608

East. Fire destroyed Jamestown in January, leaving the residents suddenly without shelter, food, bedding or clothing. Only 38 of the original 105 colonists were left when John SMITH returned from an expedition. Edward BROWNE was one of the many who died. Christopher NEWPORT arrived with supplies from England. John SMITH, Christopher NEWPORT & Thomas SAVAGE sailed up the York River to meet with the Powhatan. The Anglos & the Indians exchanged "hostages". Thirteen-year-old Thomas SAVAGE was presented as a gift (also to learn the Algonquian language) from NEWPORT to Chief POWHATAN. SAVAGE came to America as a boy-laborer. POWHATAN gave NEWPORT his servant, NAMONTACK (NAMONTACKE). Young SAVAGE stayed behind to live with the Powhatan & NAMONTACK went back with the English to live at Jamestown. These and others similarly traded would serve as interpreters and communiation links between the two peoples.

SAVAGE stayed with POWHATAN for two years. NEWPORT took NAMONTACK to England and introduced him as the son of "the emperor of Virginia." A Dutchman, Samuel COLLIER was yet another boy-laborer & another intermediary. He was left with the Warraskoyack tribe to learn their language. COLLIER later moved back with the English, surviving until 1623. These and others similarly traded would serve as valuable interpreters and communication links between cultures.

NEWPORT made a second supply voyage. This time he brought back special gifts for POWHATAN from King JAMES, including a canopy bed & a scarlet cloak. Later, NEWPORT conducted a "formal" coronation ceremony, placing a crown on POWHATAN's head. Having been instructed to do some exploring before returning to London, Christopher NEWPORT took a "score of men" sixty miles up the James River to the "Falls of the Farre West" (later called the Falls of the James River, Richmond, Virginia) where they supposed that they had traveled "at least half-way across the breadth of America". (See 1654 entry.)

Samuel de CHAMPLAIN left France & came to the New World, docking at Tadoussac. Tadoussac was the only inland trading post & was used by all the major European countries. CHAMPLAIN soon realized that in order to gain an advantage in the fur trade he must set up a trading post further inland. brought a group to the area around Montreal, Canada. They built a fort and a settlement. Therefore, CHAMPLAIN left Tadoussac & sailed up the St. Lawrence River to l'�le d'Orl�ans. He named the place Cap Diamant. At that location the river was only 1/2 mile wide & the cliffs rose almost 330 feet. A small battery of cannons could effectively close off any access to the interior.

CHAMPLAIN chose this place in the St. Lawrence Valley to build his settlement. He named it "Quebec" which is Algonquin for "where the river narrows". This is also the site of the abandoned Iroquoian village of Stadacona. Sixty years before, when Jacques CARTIER explored the area, there were Iroquian-speaking people living on both sides of the St. Lawrence between Quebec & the rapids of Montreal. CARTIER had mentioned Stadacona and Hochelaga as towns occupied by Iroquoian-speaking people The Iroquois no longer lived in that area but had moved to the finger lakes region of upstate New York, tradition says, because they no longer wanted to be dominated by the Algonquin.

CHAMPLAIN sent out traders to buy furs from the Indians. He made friends with the Hurons & brought in missionaries to live with them. The French were coming to feel that the further west they went the better the furs became. West of Quebec was also a war zone. Even tho the Iroquois had left the St. Lawrence, they still claimed (and fought for) their rights to it. West of Quebec especially, the Montagnais felt it was only safe to travel in large groups. The Iroquois had become a major threat since they had organized into a confederation. After relocating to upstate New York, the Iroquois stopped fighting amongst themselves & had organized into the Iroquois League. That winter at the future Quebec City was "harsh beyond all expectations; only eight out of 24 settlers survived."

1609

East. Henry SPELMAN sailed to Virginia at age 13 as a boy-laborer. John SMITH sold him to POWHATAN's son, PARAHUNT, in exchange for some land up the James River. He was also with JOPASSUS, brother of POWHATAN, for a time. SPELMAN stayed for several months and then spent three years with the Patawomeke tribe on the Potomac River.

Henry HUDSON had been commissioned by King JAMES I of England to locate the Northwest Passage. Upon arriving in the New World HUDSON discovered the Hudson River, New York.

At Tadoussac Samuel de CHAMPLAIN found the Monagnais & their Algonquin allies provided more and better fur than the Mimac in Nova Scotia. So much so that the French abandoned most of their posts in Acadia and moved to the St. Lawrence. CHAMPLAIN now wanted to secure a trade agreement with the Montagnais to preclude competition. The Montagnais, however, were reluctant to commit without assurances of French military support. Overall, all parties wanted access further west without fear of attacks by the Iroquois. Through Algonquin traders, CHAMPLAIN met with the Arendaronon of the Huron Confederacy.

The deal was made. In return for fur-trading rights and the opportunity to extend French influence further west, CHAMPLAIN agreed to provide military support to the tribes then at war with the Iroquois Confederation. And so it was that CHAMPLAIN allied himself with tribes still dwelling along the St. Lawrence & north of the Great Lakes against the Iroquois to the south. "Sealing" the contract, CHAMPLAIN accompanied a combined Montagnais, Algonquin & Huron war-party intent upon launching a raid on a Mohawk village. In a battle fought at the north end of Lake Champlain, the Iroquois had their first experience with French firearms, and the French had found themselves a new and dangerous enemy The Mohawk awaited in battle formation, providing a perfect target. CHAMPLAIN succeeded in killing two Iroquois chiefs. CHAMPLAIN & his allies won the confrontation. More than that, CHAMPLAIN won a place of lasting brotherhood amongst the Montagnais, Algonquin & Huron.

Europe. The Virginia Company was created to replace the London Company. Sir Thomas Gates, newly appointed governor of Virginia, gathered a fleet of seven ships and two pinnacles with Sir George Somers as Admiral of the Sea Venture, and Christopher Newport as Vice-Admiral. All weighed anchor from Falmouth, England, early in June and sailed for Virginia. Seven ships carried five hundred colonists, men, women and children.

1610

East. Only 60 out of 500 people survived "the starving time" winter at the fledgling colony. Finally, Sir Thomas WEST, Lord De La Warr, arrived in Jamestown with new supplies. He was a strong Protestant & a believer in England-In-America. The first Jesuits arrived in Quebec; they were not well received. CHAMPLAIN married twelve year-old H�l�ne Boull�, receiving a six-thousand livre dowry. Henry HUDSON discovered Hudson Bay. Mistaking it for the Pacific Ocean, he became icebound in James Bay.

Europe. King HENRI IV of France was killed by Francois RAVAILLAC. RAVAILLAC was subsequently executed by being pulled apart. Louis XIII next took the throne. He was nine years old. His mother, Marie de MEDICI (HENRY IV's second wife) acted as a regent. She was considered incompetent so Armand Jean du Plessis, Cardinal RICHELIEU took over.

1611

East. Robert POOLE was yet another boy-laborer at Jamestown. He was assigned to be an interpreter for POWHATAN's brother, OPECHANCANOUGH. Sir Thomas DALE arrived at Jamestown, Virginia. Jesuits arrived at Port Royal, Acadia. Henry HUDSON was marooned by his crew when HUDSON wanted to continue in his search for the Northwest Passage.

Europe. The King James version of the Bible was published in England for the first time.

1612

East. Sir Thomas DALE chose a site for a new town to be called Henricus. It was located a few miles below the Falls of the West (Dutch Gap), Virginia.

1613

East. After being instructed in the Presbyterian religion by Puritan Rev. Alexander WHITAKER, Matoaka (POCAHONTAS) converted to Christianity. She took on the name of Rebecca & later married John ROLFE. ROLFE cultivated tobacco. Jamestown Colony was preparing for their first tobacco to be sold in England. Further north, CHAMPLAIN mapped the Ottawa River.

1614

East. The French allied themselves with the Montagnais, Souriquois, Etchemin, Algonquin, Huron & New England tribes. The Dutch established Fort Nassau on Castle Island in the Hudson River (Albany, New York). This was their first trading post & stockade built. Fort Nassau was abandoned in 1618 due to seasonal flooding.

1615

East CHAMPLAIN brought four missionaries to Canada. Missionaries were called "Black Robes" by Indians in CHAMPLAIN's locale. There were three main groups: the Jesuits; the Recollets & the Suplicians. Three Recollet friars, under the direction of France, were ordered to convert the natives to Catholicism. The friars accompanied CHAMPLAIN to Huronia. CHAMPLAIN accompanied a Huron invasion party in an attack of the Iroquois. He was wounded in battle. He spent the winter of 1615 with the Huron, healing from two arrow wounds. The Dutch assisted the Mohawk on a raid against the Susquehannocks.

1617

East. Fort Trois-Rivi�res became a trading post.

1618

Europe. The Thirty Years War began in Europe.

1619

East. Twenty blacks were purchased as servants from a Dutch ship. These were the first documented African slaves in Virginia.

1620

East. In November the Mayflower arrived at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, with one hundred two immigrants. They started a settlement at an abandoned Patuxet Wampanoag village. The locals taught them how to grow, gather & prepare native food. (See 1605 entry.) With France in civil war, King JAMES I of England commissioned William ALEXANDER to reclaim New France and Acadia under authority of John CABOT's claim in 1497.

Europe. Sir Edwyn SANDYS arranged for "the bride ship", 90 "young, handsome, and chaste" women willing to migrate to Virginia to become wives of the settlers. In France, CHAMPLAIN persuaded young King LOUIS XIII to grant CHAMPLAIN further financial backing plus an enlistment of colonists, soldiers & missionaries for the New World.

1622

East. Everywhere along the James River & the Chesapeake on the same day, Algonquian Indians attacked & killed 347 settlers. They also destroyed the Hennicus settlement. Later, Captain William TUCKER & Dr. John POTTS killed 200 people at a Powhatan village by lacing their "peace" drink with poison. Fifty more were slaughtered.

1624

East. The French established a peace treaty with the Huron, Algonquin & the Iroquois. Armand-Jean de Plassis, Cardinal Richelieu, became Chief Minister to the French Crown and became the absolute master of New France. The Dutch established Fort Orange on the Hudson River.

1625

Europe. In March James Stuart, King of England (King James I), died. Henry, Prince of Wales, died also. His younger brother, Charles, ascended the throne as King Charles I. He married Henrietta Maria, Princess of France and Navarra.

East. The first English ship touched the island of Barbados under the command of Captain John POWELL. The island was therefore claimed on behalf of King JAMES I. Each new year yielded increase in people & tobacco. Virginia was growing and prospering. Resentment was also growing with London's desire to tightly control the economy in the New World. The concentration of political power in the hands of great landowners alienated the common people. Barbados was considered "settled by the English". It was by far the most economically and commercially important of the English-controlled settlements. Initially, it was a tobacco-producing economy but later changed to sugar.

1626

East. Peter MINUIT purchased Manhattan from the Lenape. New Amsterdam (New York City) was founded. Salem, Massachusetts, was founded at Naumkeag. The Iroquois destroyed the Mohicans and dominated all of eastern North America south of the St. Lawrence. They set their sights to the north. The Jesuits arrived at Quebec.

Europe. English Parliament impeached George VILLIERS, 1st Duke of Buckingham. CHARLES I dissolved Parliament.

1627

Europe. Duke of Buckingham invaded the Isle of Re in support of the Huguenots in La Rochelle, England & France were at war.

1628

Europe. The English took possession of Port Royal in Canada.

1629

East. Louis KIRKE attacked and sacked Quebec in Britain's name. Quebec Colony was left in ruins. CHAMPLAIN was taken prisoner & sent to England. CHAMPLAIN would work for the next 3 years to overturn the conquest of New France. The Iroquois were rapidly gaining military strength thanks to Dutch firearms. English traders had worked their way west & met the Cherokee. Contact would not be regular, frequent & ongoing until the founding of the Carolina colonies.

Europe. England's King CHARLES I gave Sir Robert HEATH a grant in the new world for all land from 31 to 36 degrees latitude to which the name "Carolina" was applied. However, attempts at colonizing failed. George CALVERT, first Lord Baltimore, arrived at Jamestown. He was given a grant for land north of the Potomac River including Maryland, Delaware & part of Pennsylvania.

1631

East. Virginians were preparing for expansion to the north. William CLAIBORNE had established widespread trade relations with Indians along the upper shores of the Chesapeake & into the forest bordering Potomac & Susquehanna. He was becoming very rich exchanging trinkets for fur, selling the latter to England at an immense profit. Getting licenses & grants from the king himself, CLAIBORNE began to provide settlements for his numerous traders upon an Island he called Kent in the future State of Maryland.

This was also part of the same land granted to CALVERT. Being a Catholic, CALVERT looked to Maryland as a place to worship a distance from Protestant Virginia. But beyond that he desired that all brothers & sisters enjoy a home of tolerance, especially that there be a separation of church and state, a novel concept for his day. The dreams of the father passed to the sons. The CALVERTs would move peacefully into this new Maryland. The only ominously emerging problem seemed to be conflicts with CLAIBORNE & his enterprises at Kent Island.

1634

East. There were three major (by size) tribes in the Carolina region. The Cherokee of the western mountains was the largest. Next was the Catawba Nation of the Piedmont Plateau. Last was the Tuscarora of the Coastal Plain. The Cherokee & the Tuscarora were of the Iroquoian language group. The Catawba was of the Siouan. Each new ship brought white servants, consigned, indentured & apprenticed to plantation owners. Willing to "work off" a debt-for-passage, many of these individuals prospered enough to sponsor white servants of their own. Interesting that out of all the Scots migrating to America over a 30-year period only 1% of the indentured servants were Scottish. As yet in Virginia there were but a few African slaves.

Europe. Things were not good in Europe overall. Unrest predominated Germany, France, Italy, England & Spain. "Over the world peoples groaned under the strain of oppression."

1636

East. Negro slaves from Africa were introduced onto Barbados plantations. Not able to compete with the cheap slave labor, many white planters then moved to the mainland. These folks became some of the first permanent European settlers of South Carolina. Virginia was also bringing in more African slaves to work in their tobacco fields.

1642

East. For 25 years, New France was under almost constant siege by the Iroquois. Using guerrilla raids instead of outright invasions, the Iroquois brought fur trade to a complete standstill. Anyone venturing out of the safety of Montreal, Quebec, or Trois-Rivi�res, even to gather fire wood, did so at extreme risk. Inhabitants of smaller settlements were massacred. Dozens of Jesuit missionaries were brutally murdered; and their missions were destroyed. Many other missions were abandoned. The Iroquois destroyed most of what remained of the Huron Nation. These invasions ultimately resulted in a declaration of war by France against the Iroquois.

Europe. England was engaged in a civil war (until 1651). It was Oliver Cromwell vs. King CHARLES I. Scottish Covenanters sided with King Charles. CHARLES was eventually tried for treason and beheaded in 1649. Congestion in Barbados plus the civil war in England brought many more folks to South Carolina. Robert HEATH was forced to flee into exile following the execution of the king and the creation of the English Republic under CROMWELL.

1644

East. OPECHANCANOUGH ordered a massacre. Over 500 English were killed throughout Virginia & Maryland. The Powhatan were overpowered; & OPECHANCANOUGH was shot in the back by a resident of Jamestown. Afterwards, settlers felt they could safely travel into the western frontier. The Virginia council ordered the building of forts at the falls of the Appomatox, James & Pamunkey rivers and on Chickahominy Ridge.

1645

East. The name "Virginia" was applied to all the territory claimed by England under the discoveries of Sir Humphrey GILBERT and Sir Walter RALEIGH. Initially, it was confined to the colony on the James River. Sir William BERKELEY, governor of Virginia, had no authority over residents living "south of a line a few miles below where the ships approached the inland waters of Virginia". When this became known, many people around Nansemond River and adjacent localities went south towards Albemarle Sound, North Carolina, seeking homes where the "tyrant of Virginia" had no control. BERKELEY persecuted Puritans especially. Major Abraham WOOD was placed in charge of the garrison at Fort Henry (built at the falls of the Appomattox River, Petersburg, Virginia).

1646

Europe. CHARLES II, eldest son of King CHARLES I of England, fled to France.

1648

Europe. The Rump Parliament found CHARLES I guilty of treason & sentenced him to be hanged.

1649

East. Because of "white man" diseases, thousands of Huron Indians died. The Iroquois killed most who had survived. The Huron Nation was no more.

Europe. King CHARLES I of England, Scotland & Ireland was beheaded. His widow Henrieta Maria lived in France. The Commonwealth of England, a republican government, replaced the monarchy. Prince Charles Stuart declared himself King Charles II of England, Scotland & Ireland. None of the three recognized him initially as such. Meanwhile, CROMWELL abolished the monarchy and made himself Lord Protector, ruler of England.

1650

East. Virginia passed a law offering 75 pounds sterling for every Indian killed by anyone, or for any Indian children under 12 years to be sold into slavery. Other colonies enacted similar laws. Bounties for scalps were also given. On his first trip from Fort Henry to present-day Clarksville, Major Abraham WOOD noted several well-worn trails leading further west. "Diseases from Europe had swept through the villages (of the Ohio country) killing many. Armed with guns the Iroquois killed or drove out the Indians they found living (t)here. Between A.D. 1650 and 1700 the Iroquois waged a war of extermination."

Europe. Oliver CROMWELL dispatched shiploads of Scottish prisoners of war to Virginia. (Also, Covenanters were deported from Scotland 1669-1686.) Virginia was still feeling the shock of King Charles I having been beheaded the previous year. Loyalists were fleeing England in droves. Many of these had substantial means, arriving in the New World with servants & riches. These new immigrants, being Loyalists, were already in the favorable graces of the governor of Virginia. Many English country gentlemen soon became Virginia planters. The Virginia Assembly continued to pledge support for the deposed CHARLES II, then in Holland.

1651

East. CROMWELL besieged Barbados.

Europe. Upon the occasion of his father's execution in 1649, CHARLES II was proclaimed King of Scotland. When he marched into England, he was defeated by Oliver CROMWELL but escaped to France. A new civil war broke out in England. Scottish prisoners were shipped to English settlements in America.

1652

East. Iroquois defeated the Petun and Ottawa nations, gaining control of the entire St. Lawrence region.

1653

East. Roger GREEN, a clergyman, led a considerable following to the banks of the Chowan and Roanoke rivers. He is credited with founding North Carolina's first settlement altho there were probably scattered settlements north of Albemarle Sound of which we have no documentation. Sometimes this area was called South Virginia; but as time passed, it was gradually most thought of as Carolina. And Carolina came to mean backwoods & frontier. The Virginia House of Burgesses passed an act to encourage exploration & discoveries. Only Major Abraham Wood "followed up on the opportunity".

1654

East. Fifty years had passed since the Iroquois drove prospective European traders away. (See 1604 entry.) Now, seeking a monopoly with traders, the Iroquois were driving other tribes away. By 1650 Iroquois hunters and trappers had killed most of the fur-bearing animals in their homeland. To expand their hunting territory, they pushed west past Lake Erie, conquering & driving out Algonquian tribes & their French allies from the Ohio country. This was part of what is known as the Beaver Wars. (In dispute ... See 1655 entry.) Some of these tribes forced out went south into Virginia, including the Westo. A village of 600-700 Rickahockan or Rechahecrian (as Cherokee were known by the Powhatan) had settled at the falls of the James River (Richmond, Virginia). With the assistance of the Pamunkey Indians, the Virginia Colony militia attacked the Rickahockan; but they were severely defeated.

General Abraham WOOD passed thru Wood's Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. He then proceeded on to Wood's River (New River). WOOD became a trader & a member of the House of Burgesses.

1655

East. The charter for the Proprietorship of Carolina gave (North) Carolina the land that would become Tennessee.

A group called the Rickahocan (Rickahocken) settled at the Falls of the James River (Richmond, Virginia). (Christopher GIST adds that it was "about the time the Iriquois [sic] completed their conquest".) With the assistance of the Pamunkey, the Virginia Colony militia attacked the Rickahocan; but the Virginians were severely defeated. (Also see 1656 entry.)

Note. I hope to learn more about the Westo-Virginian relationship. While some are of the opinion that the Rickahocan in the previous paragraph are Cherokee, I am entertaining the possibility that they are the same as the Westo mentioned in the 1654 entry. If, as I have guessed, the Rickahocan mentioned in Virginia & the Westo mentioned in Virginia were one-in-the-same, then the English made peace with the Rickahocan after the attack at Richmond (near the Falls of the James River). The Rickahocan are reported as having left their fortress at Richmond after they were attacked. Were the Westo living in Virginia when they first got their weapons (& probably encouragement) for South Carolina slave raids? In the Westo slave raids of South Carolina, the Westo had firearms supplied by the British in Virginia. Would the Virginians trust the Rickahocken enough to give them weapons? That sounds like an unlikely stretch; however, historians tell us that at that time Jamestown traders recognized the need for slaves to work the tobacco plantations. We also know they looked to the Piedmont for resources. More research needed here......

1656

East. "The Iroquois had conquered and assimilated their Iroquian-speaking rivals except the Susquehannock and had started to clear the Algonquin tribes from the Ohio Valley and lower Michigan. Most of these enemies ended up as refugees in Wisconsin, but some of the Shawnee apparently were able to hold on for a few years as Susquehannock allies."

"In 1656 an unknown tribe fleeing the Iroquois entered the Virginia Piedmont and settled near the falls of the James River (Richmond). They built a large, fortified village and terrorized the local Powhatan tribes who called them the Ricahecrian. A combined English and Powhatan army went out to expel these intruders but was soundly defeated. However, shortly after this battle the Ricahecrian abandoned their village and disappeared. Ricahecrian is a Virginia Algonquin word that seems to mean "from beyond the mountains." The Powhatan obviously believed that these new enemies had come from west of the Appalachians. " (Also see 1655 entry.)

1658

East. The western Iroquois attacked the Susquehannock. However, it took the Iroquois until 1675 to finally defeat the Susquehannock.

1659

East. Contemplating advantages in having slaves work in the Virginia tobacco plantations, Jamestown traders used the Westo to gather them in. Armed & encouraged by the English, the Westo assaulted indigenous groups in Georgia, Florida & the Carolinas in search of slaves. Fugitive Indians began to flood into the Spanish mission communities. Captives were then traded to colonists in Virginia for more weapons & ammo. Being one of the first Indian groups to have European weapons quickly elevated the Westo to a position of dominance within Native American cultures. It also elevated the importance of the English to the Westo. In order for the Westo to get more guns and ammo, they were required to bring in more slaves.

The Savannah River near Augusta, Georgia, was the home of the Westo between ca. 1659-1681 (See 1655 entry.). "Little is known about the Westo except they lived in a large, fortified village and were alien to the Carolina tidewater. Greatly feared by the resident Siouan tribes, the English (in the Carolinas) were told the Westo were cannibals." For the next decade the Westo on the Savannah River (Westobou) near Augusta, Georgia, were so troublesome that most of the exposed plantations, such as Giles & Mepkin, had to be fortified against Westo attacks. (FORT, Pg 1)

Europe. CROMWELL forced a mass migation of Irish & Scottish Celts to Barbados. Thosands died.

1660

East. The coastal plains Indians numbered about 30,000. In the next fifty years smallpox, rum & intertribal warfare would reduce their number to about 5,000. The first permanent English inhabitants of North Carolina came down from Virginia about this time. They occupied the area north of Albemarle Sound, then called Albemarle County

The Iroquois were now ten years into their "war of extermination" (see 1650 entry). For about fourteen years, beginning about 1660, the Iroquois attacked the Shawnee with relentless aggression. In addition, the French & the British were encroaching into Shawnee territory from the east. The Shawnee lacked firearms; and this was a major factor in their being pushed out of their beautiful homeland of Ohio, West Virginia & western Pennsylvania. Some scattered east among the Delaware and Susquehannock in eastern Pennsylvania. Some Shawnee retreated west towards southern Illinois where they became known to the French as Chaskp (Chaouesnon). Other Shawnee went south & joined with the Creek on the Tallassee & Tallapoosa rivers of Alabama.

Having their own problems with the Iroquois, the Cherokee offered help to the Shawnee. They allowed the Chillicothe & Kispoko Shawnee to settle in eastern Tennessee's Cumberland Basin (as a buffer against the Chickasaw). They allowed another group of Shawnee, the Hathawekela, to cross the Appalachians & settle on the Savannah River, in the south Georgia/South Carolina region (as a buffer between the Cherokee and the Catawba on their east).

The Shawnee are Algonquin. The Algonquin word "shawun" (shawunogi) means "southerner." (In the Ohio Valley, the Shawnee were south of Algonquin tribes of the Great Lakes region.) Variant names include Shawano, Shawanoe, Shawaneses, Savannah & Savannuca.

Europe. The Parliament of England declared Prince Charles Stuart, King Charles II of England; but his powers would be limited. Parliament & the king were to rule together. In 1660 large groups of Shawnee were driven south by the Iroquois. The Cherokee allowed one group to settle in South Carolina and serve as a buffer between them and the Catawba. Other Shawnee were permitted to locate in the Cumberland Basin of Tennessee for a similar purpose against the Chickasaw. This self-serving hospitality was to earn the Cherokee nothing but grief. The Iroquois never forgot an enemy, and the Shawnee presence brought them south in raids against both the Shawnee and the Cherokee. Meanwhile, the Shawnee were becoming dangerous.

1661

East. Westo descended the Altamaho River & attacked Santo Domingo de Talaje (Darien, Georgia). Survivors relocated to St. Simons Island.

Europe. King LOUIS XIV dismissed royal administration in New France. He appointed a governor and promised significant military support to the colony. War was declared on the Iroquois. LOUIS was determined not to begin his reign by losing New France to the Iroquois.

1662

East. Representing a group of New Englanders, William HILTON explored & then purchased the area known as Cape Fear (North Carolina) from the local Indians. HILTON's group was interested in raising cattle. When they arrived, they were hastily driven out, leaving behind their cattle & swine. They also posted a note warning others not to settle there.

It had been 100 years since Jean RIBAULT arrived in Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, with two ships of French Huguenot refugees. Here, they built Charlesfort but the attempt to colonize failed. There was a second attempt led by Rene GOULAINE de Laudonniere. He built Fort Caroline on the St. John's River (Jacksonville), Florida, which angered Philip II of Spain.

1663

East. King Charles II established the Province of Carolina on 24 Mar. Virginia was partitioned. From now until about 1748 "Virginians" in the upper part of the Tennessee Valley mistakenly thought they were within the borders of Virginia. Tenessee was considered western Carolina. The Tennessee Valley is the large valley of East Tennessee and North Alabama created by the Tennessee River. Knoxville, Tennessee is where the Tennessee River begins at the confluence of the Holston and the French Broad. Here, the Tennessee Valley is sometimes called the Volunteer Valley. Also, Tennessee was considered western Carolina.

Sir John COLLETON & Sir William BERKELEY enlisted six courtiers to join them in a Carolina proprietary venture. Two charters from King CHARLES II gave control of an expanded Carolina to the eight wealthy English Lords Proprietor (landlords). This territory included all the lands south not already granted to the province of Virginia down to the Spanish line of Florida. There were already some white settlers in this area.

BERKELEY appointed William DRUMMOND as the first "Governor of Albemarle". A few years later BERKELEY ordered that DRUMMOND be hanged. Going further north this time, HILTON made a second exploration & purchase on behalf of some Barbadians. He went from the shores of Carolina, a distance of about 150 miles, along the course of the northeast branch of the Cape Fear River. HILTON was accompanied by Captain Anthony LONG & Peter FABIAN. One of the Barbados' planters sponsoring HILTON's expedition was John YEAMANS. Notwithstanding his Cape Fear experience the previous year, HILTON made a second exploration & purchase on behalf of some Barbadians. He went from the shores of Carolina, a distance of about 150 miles, along the course of the northeast branch of the Cape Fear River.

Armed with English weapons, Indians were taking & selling those of other tribes to the English as slaves. If Indians refused to cooperate with the English or participate in the slave trade, they would become the hunted. For about four years Spanish mission communities along the Georgia-South Carolina coast had been taking in refugees by the hundreds. Altho from various tribes, collectively these refugees became known as the Yamassee.

The Savannah River was very influential in the economic development of Georgia, and two major cities were founded on the river in the 18th century. Savannah, Georgia was established as a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean, and Augusta, Georgia is positioned where the river meets the fall line. The river is tidal at Savannah, surprising some first-time visitors who return to downtown later in the day and find it flowing the opposite direction. Downstream, it broadens into an estuary before flowing into the ocean. The Savannah River watershed extends into the southeastern side of the Appalachian Mountains just inside North Carolina, bounded by the Eastern Continental Divide. The river is about 350 miles long. Westo settled on the Savannah River (near Augusta, Georgia). The river was known as the Westobou during the 1660-70s while the area was inhabited by the Westo (Chichimeco, Ricahecrian).

1664

East. The eight Proprietors divided Carolina into three counties: Albemarle (along the northern coast of North Carolina, adjacent to Albemarle Sound, nearest to Virginia); Clarendon, on the Cape Fear river & surrounding region (the southern coast of North Carolina (only lasted until 1667); and Craven on the Ashley River (South Carolina). Proposals to grant lands on a quit-rent basis helped attract settlers. Between 1664-1689 the colonists drove five Albemarle governors from office. The Carolina elected assembly felt they had insufficient support against Indians and pirates. The Proprietors vetoed most of their early measures.

The grant to the Lords Proprietor included that territory settled by Roger GREEN. (See 1653 entry.) BERKELEY now declared this region separated from Virginia & attached it to Carolina. He christened it "Albemarle" & appointed William DRUMMOND as the first "Governor of Albemarle". A few years later BERKELEY ordered that DRUMMOND be hanged for his role in Bacon's Rebellion. (See 1645 entry.)

"It is likely that Scottish merchants and factors became established on the shores of the Chesapeake in the latter half of the seventh century." ... "Among those immigrants identified are Able, James and Samuel Brown, brothers from Dumfries, who settled in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, before 1665." (Pg57,SCOT).

1665

East. First to Clarendon had come emigrants from Massachusetts. Then John YEAMANS led a band of colonists from Barbados to Cape Fear & purchased from the Indians a tract of land 32 miles square & settled Old Town (Brunswick, North Carolina). Old Town settlement was afterwards known as Clarendon Colony. (See Province of Carolina). CHARLES II of England issued a second charter for the Province of Carolina which clarified and expanded the borders of the tracts of the Lords Proprietor.

Europe. CHARLES II of Spain became king. London had a severe outbreak of Bubonic plague. Two-thirds of the population of London left. Over 68,000 people died.

1666

East. Clarendon Colony, North Carolina, was filling up with settlers (primarily from Barbados). Homesteads were scattered along 60 miles of the Cape Fear River. At first Clarendon thrived; but it soon disbanded due to the lack of support from the Lords Proprietor.

An expedition from Barbados, led by Captain Robert SANDFORD & Dr. Henry WOODWARD (surgeon), explored the South Carolina coast & landed at Port Royal. WOODWARD did not want to return home. Instead, he stayed behind at the Yamassee town of Santa Elena (Spanish settlement on Parris Island, South Carolina). Jean TALON completed a census of New France. This was the first census taken in North America.

1667

East. Southern settlers & Indians alike were very concerned about the Westo. They lived in a single fortified village very near the settlements. After relentless slave raids by the Westo, Yamassee chiefs, headed by the chief of Santa Elena, successfully petitioned the governor of Spanish Florida for permission to settle at the Guale (San Juan del Puerto) (Jacksonville, Florida) & the Mocama missions on the Atlantic coast. Henry WOODWARD was turned over to the Spanish but later escaped. (See 1674 entry.)

1669

East. John LEDERER, a German physician, journeyed to the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains at Front Royal. His reports of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley intrigued & encouraged other explorers. Between 1669-1673 Rene Robert Cavelier, Seiur de LaSALLE, sought a water passage to the east through North America. He crossed Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and other places which are not documented, but may have included places along the Mississippi River.

1670

East. The English colony of Charles Town (South Carolina) was established on Albemarle Point on the Ashley River. The settlement was named to honor King CHARLES II. (In 1679 these settlers moved to the present site of Charleston, at Oyster Point between the Ashley and Cooper rivers.) A moat and a palisade fence protected the Charles Town village of 1670. Spaniards & Guale Indians attempted an assault on the new colony; but they were unsuccessful.

The tribe closest to the settlement, the Cusabo, was friendly towards their European neighbors. They were a division of the Muskogean language group. As South Carolina grew, it became the southern frontier of the English colonies. It protected North Carolina against the Spaniards of Florida and the French of Louisiana. It did the same against the Creek, Choctaw & Chickasaw, whose lands stretched to the Mississippi River.

Ever since Clarendon, North Carolina, was abandoned by white settlers (See 1665, 1666 entries.), the Indians of the area were bitter towards intruders. Europeans unfortunate enough to be shipwrecked along Cape Fear, North Carolina, were treated very harshly by the locals.

1673

East. The Cherokee now had firearms & raided Spanish settlements in Florida. They also fought the coastal tribes of the Carolinas. Charles Town, South Carolina, settlement was in its infancy; & sugar cane plantations were flourishing in Barbados. Contact between the Cherokee & the European became continuous with the founding of the Carolina colonies. English traders maintained a presence among the Cherokee, usually marrying into the tribe.

General Abraham WOOD from Fort Henry (near Petersburg, Virginia) sent James NEEDHAM & Gabriel ARTHUR to the Cherokee Overhill capital of Echota (Chota) & other Overhill Cherokee settlements (whose towns lie over the Appalachian Mountains, along the Little Tennessee and Tellico rivers in North Carolina). WOOD's primary intent was to gain a trade monopoly with the Cherokee. He was interested in exporting peltries, beeswax and bear oil to England. (Arthur called the Indians "Tomahitans," however, they were located on the Watauga and Nolichucky Rivers, which was Cherokee country.)

NEEDHAM & ARTHUR were royally welcomed by the Overhills; but they did not get the monopoly sought by WOOD. The "Overhills" were particularly fascinated with the one horse NEEDHAM brought, since they had no large domestic animals (such as horses & cows) at that time. The Overhills had about sixty Spanish flintlock muskets and other European implements, clear evidence that the Cherokee had been in contact with the Spanish. HASECOLL (Indian John) of the Occaneechis Indian band, guide & interpreter for NEEDHAM & ARTHUR, later killed NEEDHAM while NEEDHAM was bringing in trade goods. HASECOLL cut NEEDHAM's heart from his chest and held it up high towards the east as a gesture of contempt for the intruders. (See 1674 entry.)

HASECOLL also sent word to Echota to kill Gabriel ARTHUR. While some of the Cherokee would have done this, the Chief of Echota prevented ARTHUR's murder. ARTHUR, an indentured servant, stayed with the Cherokee for almost a year to learn their language & customs. Disguising himself in ash & clay, ARTHUR accompanied the chief of Echota (name?) with campaigns against tribal enemies. They raided Spanish settlements in Florida and fought coastal Shawnee in the Carolinas.

West. Fur trader, Louise JOLLIET, & Jesuit missionary, Father Jacques MARQUETTE, passed through the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. They had come down the Great River (Mississippi) along the western boundary of Illinois & were the first Europeans known to enter the Illinois country. They established the first European settlement at Kaskaskia, Illinois, across the Mississippi from St. Genevieve, Missouri. They also visited Chickasaw villages north of Memphis, Tennessee. (See 1682 entry.) MARQUETTE & JOLIET descended the Mississippi as far as the mouth of the Arkansas River. The Osage lived in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas when MARQUETTE & JOLIET encountered them. After the two explorers returned, MARQUETTE started a Kaskaskian mission near North Utica, Illinois.

1674

East. Gabriel ARTHUR was wounded & captured by the Shawnee. He was released back to the Cherokee at Echota after the Shawnee discovered he was a white man. The Chief of Echota and his warriors escorted Gabriel ARTHUR to Virginia, delivering him to Abraham WOOD. Altho WOOD greeted the Cherokee warmly, he did not attempt to renew trade relations.

Traders from the Carolinas (rivals of Abraham WOOD's group) went up the Savannah to meet with the Cherokee regarding trade agreements. Dr. Henry WOODWARD expanded Indian trade beyond the coastal tribes of the Carolinas by signing a treaty with the Savannah River Westo. (See 1667 entry.) Slavery commerce in the South Carolina area replaced Virginia as primary market for Georgia Indian slaves.

West. Father Jacques MARQUETTE established a mission on the shore of Lake Michigan to minister to the Illinois Indians. The mission grew into the City of Chicago, Illinois.

1675

East. The Iroquois finally defeated the Susquehannock.

British traders first encountered the Shawnee on the upper Savannah River. The Savannah Shawnee quickly became an important part of the British trade pattern of deerskins and captured native women and children as slaves in exchange for trade goods (firearms and whiskey).

Serious conflicts & heavy losses (on both sides) occurred as settlers began colonizing the south shore of Albemarle Sound (Carolina), encroaching upon the Chowanoc Indians. There were heavy losses on both sides. The complete defeat of the Chowanoc came in the summer of 1677 when the Indians were forced from their ancestral homelands on the Meherrin River to a reservation on Bennet's Creek. Separate isolated white settlements were emerging in Carolina. Between Albemarle Sound & the future Pamlico River settlement would lie about fifty miles of uninhabited "desert". For many years the white settlers of South Carolina remained situated near the coast. King Philip's War between the settlers in New England and the indigenous tribes (led by Metacomet) began.

The political climate of Virginia had changed. The country that recently declared support for (the deposed) King Charles, now hotly resented England's most recent attempts at setting things back as they once were. After CROMWELL died CHARLES II took the throne once more. When CHARLES gave large tracts of land to his friends again, the people already living in these places were required to pay the king a "slight" rent. Discontentment grew.

1677

East. Following the Iroquois destruction of the Susquehannock, some of the Piqua moved east in 1677 and eventually found a refuge with the Delaware. The Delaware allowed them to settle at the junction of Pequa Creek and the Susquehanna River in southern Pennsylvania. As part of their peace with the Susquehannock, the Iroquois apparently tolerated the presence of this small group of Shawnee, but there were confrontations between Shawnee and British colonists along Maryland's Gunpowder River.

Albemarle Colony had two thousand taxpayers. Indian corn was the staple production. Additionally, 800,000 pounds of tobacco were produced. The colony enjoyed the prosperity provided by fertile soil, good climate & hard work. The complete defeat of the Chowanoc came in the summer. They were forced from their ancestral homeland on the Meherrin River to a reservation on Bennet's Creek.

The Shawnee were in the early stages of a gradual withdrawal from South Carolina which lasted more than 30 years. Mostly, it was because of their many losses at the hands of the Catawba, allies of the English. Later, the Shawnee persued their old enemies with "unrelenting vengence" until the Catawba were almost exterminated.

1678

East. About 1200 Irish families sailed from Barbados to Virginia or Carolina. LaSALLE and Henri de TONTY built a fort (which subsequently burned down) on the Niagara River between Ontario and New York.

1679

East. Charles Town, South Carolina, was moved from Albemarle Point to a new site at Oyster Point between the Ashley & Cooper (Named after Anthony Ashley COOPER?) rivers. The new Charles Town soon became known as Charleston.

1680

East. In 1680 British traders armed the Savannah who attacked and destroyed the Westo fort. The Westo dropped from sight afterwards, and any Westo who survived were captured and disappeared into the slave system. Unfortunately, relations between the Savannah and the South Carolina colonists turned sour shortly afterwards. Charleston, South Carolina, had a population of 1,000.

Dr. WOODWARD led Carolina colonists, Westo & other allied tribes in a raid against Georgia missions. About 300 warriors attacked the Yamassee town & mission of San Simon on St. Simons Island. (See 1661 & 1674 entries.) The Appalachee, the Yuchi & the Chickasaw settled near the westward boundary of the established settlements known as the fall line. The fall line is a unique geological feature of land where rocky terrain meets soft, sandy soil, or the upland region meets the coastal plain. The fall line marks where the upland rivers of the Piedmont fall to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain.

1681

East. Carolina colonists practically exterminated the Westo "thru the use of the Savannah." The Savannah took over the Westo village near Augusta which soon became a hub for slave & deerskin trade. Savanno Town (Augusta, Georgia) would become one of the most important Indian trade centers in South Carolina. Situated between Horse Creek and Hollow Creek on the South Carolina side of the Savannah River, Savanno Town was a perfect "jump-off point" to trails to the nations of the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw & Chickasaw as far west as the Mississippi River.

The Savannah, however, had already started a voluntary withdrawal from South Carolina four years earlier. (By 1715 the Savanno remaining in Carolina were reported to still be living 150 miles northwest of Charleston, having three villages.) (See 1677 entry.)

A permit was issued from Charleston for the export of two "Seraquii slaves" .

CHARLES II of England granted a land charter to William PENN. England owed Admiral PENN 16,000 pounds money, and in settlement of the debt, King Charles II granted to William PENN a total of 40,000 square miles of land in what became known as Pennsylvania.

West. LaSALLE & about 40 men were sent by King Louis XIV to travel down the Mississippi to explore and establish fur trade routes along the river.

1682

East. From the great port of Charleston, South Carolina, the Indian trade flourished. Traders carried on their business far into the interior. This put many tribes under the influence of the South Carolina government long before white settlements reached them. The whites continued to enslave Indians. Many of these victims were sold outside of the colonies.

West. The crude Fort Prud'homme was built in Chickasaw country (Memphis, Tennessee) by LaSALLE near the mouth of the Hatchie River; but the fort soon fell into ruin. LaSALLE also explored the Arkansas River Valley. On 9 April LaSALLE claimed the entire Mississippi watershed in the name of France, calling it �the country known as Louisiana�, in honor of his king. LaSALLE is credited as being the first to descend the Mississippi all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The period of French ownership was marked by numerous attempts through various plans to get colonies started in Louisiana.

1683

West. There were almost 3,000 of the western group of Shawnee living in the vicinity of the French trading post at Fort St. Louis on the upper Illinois River. Allied with the Miami and Illinois, the Shawnee continued their war with the Iroquois.

For a period of 70 years following its conquest by the Iroquois during the 1660s, the Ohio Valley (Indiana, Lower Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and western Pennsylvania) was almost entirely uninhabited. The Iroquois never occupied the area but preferred to use it as a private hunting preserve.

East. French and English pirates, led by the Monsieur de GRAMMOT, attacked Spanish missions on Cumberland Island. Chief ALTAMAHA led the Yamassee out of Spanish Florida to resettle at Hiton Head Island, South Carolina.

West. Henri deTONTY established a settlement at the confluence of the White and the Arkansas rivers (Arkansas).

1684

East. The Seneca attacked the Miami, because they had allowed some of these hostile Shawnee to settle near their villages in northwest Indiana.

English pirates destroyed all remaining Spanish missions along the coast of Georgia. A Scottish colony called Stuarts Town (on the lower Carolina coast) formed an alliance with the Yamassee under Chief ALTAMAHA. The Scotts provided guns; and the Yamassee ran slave raids across Georgia. (This is a complete reversal for the Yamassee. They used to be the hunted; now they were the hunters.) Even tho the Spanish were totally withdrawing from Georgia & South Carolina, reprisals destroyed Yamassee settlements; then the Spanish destroyed Stuarts Town.

A treaty with South Carolina started a strong & steady exchange of deerskin and Indian slaves between the Cherokee & the South Carolina traders. Indians were hunting for profit & becoming dependent upon the Europeans for trade goods. In the past, religion & law were the same. The priest was the legal figure & people were governed by the laws of the spirits. At this time there was a cultural shift from priest to warrior in Cherokee leadership.

The first treaty on record was signed between South Carolina & Cherokee chiefs. Signing this document with their own particular mark rather than with the usual cross mark were CORANI, RAVEN of Toxawa; CANACAUGHT, the Great Conqueror of Keowa; SINNAWA, or Hawk, head warrior of Toxawa; NELLAWGITEHI of Toxawa; GOHOMA of Keowa; CAUNASAITA of Keowa; GORHALEKE of Toxawa; and OWASTA, the Beloved Man of Toxawa. The Spanish maintained a small mining and smelting operation until about 1690 (Where?).

West. LaSALLE returned from France with four ships and over two hundred people, intending to start a colony in the Mississippi River Valley. The king actually wanted him to travel to the Rio Grande to take over Spanish mines. This never happened. (See 1685 entry.)

1685

East. Under the leadership of Dr. Henry WOODWARD, Carolina traders used Yamassee intermediaries to establish trade with Coweta/Kasihta (Apalachicola province or emergent Lower Creek) of the lower Chattahoochee in west Georgia. Spanish reprisals under Antonio MATHEOS in the Apalachee mission province resulted in the destruction of four towns.

West. A post on the lower Arkansas River was built. (See 1684 entry.) The LeSALLE expedition lost a vital supply ship to pirates enroute. Then they mistakenly landed in Matagorda Bay (near Houston, Texas), where two other ships ran aground. The Aimable, the largest ship carrying most of the colony�s supplies, sank in Matagorda Bay. Then LeSALLE's men shot Native Americans who took supplies from the wrecked ships, creating further trouble. One ship, the Joly, returned to France.

Those left behind, including LeSALLE established Fort St. Louis on the banks of Garcitas Creek, above the head of Lavaca Bay (The site has long been in controversy.), which formed the basis for France's claim to Texas. They needed protection while trying to locate the Mississippi River, which they hoped to follow north. Astonishingly, a few crewmen were still aboard the last remaining ship, the Belle. The crew was dying of thirst; and the ship�s best sailors had been killed by the Karankawa in a failed attempt to go ashore for water. �On a blustery cold day, with fierce winds pounding the small vessel, the ship�s master pulled anchor to sail across Matagorda Bay to get help.� In doing so he went against LaSALLE�s orders. He lost control of the ship, which then capsized. The ship gradually disappeared beneath the muddy waters of the bay. (See 1688 entry.)

1687

East. The first Huguenots set sail from France to the Cape of Good Hope. LeSALLE West. After several failed attempts by Robert Cavelier de La SALLE to find the mouth of the Mississippi River, a group of five mutineers shot and killed him (near Navasota, Texas). They left his body for animals to eat.

1688

West. (See 1686 entry.) Some of LaSALLE's group made it to Montreal; but those left behind at the fort in Texas were killed by the Karankawa Indians. LaSALLE is credited as being a factor in the future French development of the lower Mississippi. Because of his threat to the Spanish claim on Texas, his brief presence at Matagorda Bay inspired Spain to accelerate the development of missions in the region throughout the 18th century.

1689

East. The Cherokee & the British were strong allies in war against the French & the Spanish. The Spanish built a fort in the heart of the Apalachicola Creek province on the Alabama side of the lower Chattahoochee. Most of those living in English-allied towns under Coweta/Kasihta moved east to trade with the English on Ocmulgee River, called Uchise Creek.

Europe. The Parliament of England declared King James II of England deposed. William III & Mary II were proclaimed co-rulers of England, Scotland and Ireland. However, Scotland and Ireland did not yet recognize them. King William III joined the League of Augsburg, starting King William's War.

West. Freed from the pressure of its former human population, the Ohio Country quickly became a prime hunting territory. Although the Iroquois prevented permanent settlements, small groups of Shawnee returned frequently to the Ohio Valley to hunt, so during their many years of exile, the Shawnee never completely surrendered the claim to their homeland. Meanwhile, they were proving to be unwelcome guests in their new locations. Despite the common threat posed by the Iroquois at the time, the crowded conditions near the French trading posts in Illinois eventually provoked a violent confrontation between the Shawnee and Illinois Confederacy in 1689. The Shawnee soon left the area to join their relatives in Tennessee, but forever afterwards, they had a strong dislike for the Illinois and often returned to raid their villages.

Not all of the Shawnee from Illinois went south to the Cumberland in Tennessee. One band continued east until they reached eastern Maryland which is where a Munsee (Delaware) and Mahican hunting party found them in 1692. As the Algonquin "grandfathers," the Munsee were able to convince the Shawnee to accompany them back to northern Pennsylvania and settle in the Lehigh Valley. Although both the Mahican and Munsee had been Iroquois allies and members of the covenant chain since 1677, the Shawnee from Illinois were still on the Iroquois "hit list" as enemies.

For obvious reasons, there were strong protests when they Munsee provided refuge, and the Iroquois were preparing to deal with the situation through force if necessary. The Mahican, however, intervened and still commanded enough respect in the League councils that the Shawnee were allowed to stay with the Munsee. After making peace with the Iroquois in 1694, the Shawnee in eastern Pennsylvania also joined the covenant chain.

Louis XIV of France passed the "Code Noir," allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies.

1690

East. James MOORE, accompanied by trader Maurice MATHEWS (both from the South Carolina colony) ventured into Indian lands looking for gold. MOORE went up the Savannah River to Cherokee country, crossing the Appalachian summit. Cherokee trade flourished in subsequent years.

1691

East. The Apalachicola fort was abandoned. After the final Spanish evacuation from west Georgia the only major surviving groups in Georgia were Creek and Cherokee. Both groups were then allied with the English. English-allied Uchise Creek Indians assaulted and destroyed mission San Juan de Guacara on the Suwannee River in Florida. In New England the two separate Colonies of Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony were united into a single entity by an act of the King and Queen of England.

1692

East. Martin CHARTIER, a deserter from LaSALLE's expedition, joined a band of Shawnee in the lower Cumberland Valley. The Shawnee had a fort on a large mound where Lick Creek joined the Cumberland River. The French, the Spanish & the English all claimed this land. An alliance between the Chickasaw and the Cherokee, however, forced the Shawnee out.

CARTIER recorded leaving the valley with the Shawnee in 1692. They raided and captured Cherokee villages for slaves to trade to the English. They destroyed a major Cherokee village while its warriors were absent on a winter hunt. Even though both Shawnee and Cherokee still had common enemies (Iroquois, Catawba, and Chickasaw), this treachery destroyed any trust or friendship that had existed between the two tribes.

1693

East. A Cherokee delegation visited Charlestown demanding more firearms to fight their enemies. (The situation became so dangerous by 1705 that North Carolina was urging South Carolina to curtail the trade in Native American slaves or face a massive uprising.) The Cherokee became objects of the slave trade to the extent that a tribal delegation was sent to the Royal Governor of South Carolina to protect the Cherokee from Congaree, Catawba, and Savannah slave-catchers.

Deputy governors began to rule North Carolina, altho a governor actually ruled the entire Carolina until 1712. The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1695

East. Chief Onacona White Owl ATTAKULLAKULLA Leaning Wood was born on Seviers Island, Tennessee. He is the father of DRAGGING the CANOE, the Savage Napoleon. Thomas HARVEY ruled Albemarle & John ARCHDALE was put in charge of all settlements in the future North Carolina & also those on Cooper & Ashley rivers in South Carolina.

1696

East. A severe "fever" nearly destroyed all the Indian tribes along Pamlico Sound. Settlers began to move further south, feeling somewhat safer with the reduced Indian population.

1699

West. France established a presence on the Gulf of Mexico coast. Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville's settlement was the first European settlement in the Mississippi River Valley. It supplied the Choctaw with guns and ended Chickasaw slave raids. The Chickasaw hoped to trade with France too; but France only had enough supplies for the Choctaw.