Background
In 1609, Henry Hudson explored the river which was named after him. Many of the natives he encountered had never seen European men before and, some were unaware that there were any other people in the world. They were disturbed when, five years later, a Dutch factorij (trading post) was established where Kingston, New York stands today. This land was occupied by the Esopus tribe, who used it for farming. They destroyed the post and drove the settlers back to the south. Colonists established a new settlement in 1652 at Kingston, but the Esopus drove them out again.
In 1658 the Dutch returned to the area as they believed it good for farming. They built a stockade at 41°56′02″N 74°01′11″W / 41.9338°N 74.0197°W / 41.9338; -74.0197Coordinates: 41°56′02″N 74°01′11″W / 41.9338°N 74.0197°W / 41.9338; -74.0197 to defend the village. The colony was named Wiltwijck. Skirmishes continued, but the Esopus were not able to repel the Europeans. Instead, the Esopus granted the land to the settlers. They hoped to limit the foreigners and keep them from overrunning too much important crop land.
Read more about this topic: Esopus Wars
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