Connecticut Water Trails Association
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Connecticut Water Trails Association |
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Connecticut Water Trails Program History Of Connecticut's Water Trails Native Americans
The Pequannocks
Native Americans on the west side of Uncaway River, (now Ask Creek) extending from the sound northward to the old King's Highway, and now constituting the western portion of the city of Bridgeport. The name was not at first applied to the water, now called Pequannock River, but to the beautiful plain at the north end of the cove on Black Rock harbor, where lay the Old Indian planting field of about one hundred acres, and on this field near the end of the cove was the old Indian fort.
Location
To the west of
Stratford
were the Pequannocks whose territory covered most of the southern
portion of the present City of Bridgeport
between Pequannock
and
Uncaway Rivers (Ash Creek).
Windsor and
Farmington River
Name
Pequannock (Poquannoc) –The name means "cleared field", "land opened" or
"broken open", land from which the trees and bushes had been removed, to
fit it for cultivation.
Connecticut Village Locations
Bridgeport between Pequonnock River and Uncaway River (Ash Creek), Windsor and Farmington River
The number Pequannock of living in Fairfield County at the time of the settlements of Stratford and Fairfield cannot be accurately determined. It is estimated that in Connecticut there were 20,000.
Queriheag Sachem of the Pequannocks, had his wigwam on the west side of Uncaway River (Ash Creek), while most of his people lived on the east side of the River, in three villages or encampments of wigwams.There was one on the west bank of the Uncaway River (Ash Creek), one at the Old Fort, and one at the foot of Golden Hill on the south side. Golden Hill is said to have contained about one hundred wigwams.
The one on the west side of Uncaway River was at the head of a cove near a fresh water pond, just south of the Old Kings Highway, south of which the Indians had a planting field which afterwards, constituted a part of the territory called by the first settlers of Fairfield the Concord Field. This place was the old established place of residence for the Sachem of the Pequannock tribe for many generations, and was retained by the Indians as their planting ground until 1682, when they sold it to Fairfield.
The Pequannocks, it is said were more numerous than any of the tribes, westward of New London to the Hudson River.
The Pequannock Indians engaged with the Pequots, as their allies, in the fight at Cupheag and the Great Swamp fight on the western bounds of Fairfield. The Connecticut Colony conquered the Pequots and Pequannocks at the same time – in 1637- that many were killed at New Haven and Cupheag and some of their women were held as captives in Massachusetts.
During a truce in the swamp fight at Southport the English offered pardon to all Indians who had not shed the blood of the colonists. About two hundred of the local Indians came out and were spared. These Indians at Pequannock were of considerable numbers, their Old Fort “at the north end of the cove in Black Rock Harbor” held a garrison of two hundred. It is also evident from the many names attached to the deeds for territory at Fairfield and Stratford that this clan were very numerous. These large numbers resulted in the establishment of the Golden Hill Reservation.
The Pequannock did not want to move to the Golden Hill Reservation and challenged the decision in Hartford Courts. In testimony it was proven and determined that the title of the disputed territory had passed from the Pequannock Indians to the Pequots; and since they, the English, having conquered them, owned their lands. Therefore, the evidence being conclusive that Stratford and Fairfield territory was held as conquered or ceded territory.
The Golden Hill Reservation was established in 1659,
nearly twenty years after the first settlers came,
Stratford was required to furnish the
land and Fairfield to reimburse
Stratford for the value thereof.
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