In the Beginning

Before Humans Arrived, there was the Land and the Water

Many characteristics of Jamestown and the entire Narragansett region are traceable to the geological processes that formed the area. The events that had the greatest impact on the land was the coming of the glacial ice of the Pleistocene Epoch, which started about two million years ago.

At least four great glacial advances occured in North America during the Pleistocene.The final and most severe stage reached its maximum about 18,000 years ago. Those glaciers advanced to just south of New York City and tens of miles beyond the present coast of Rhode Island - to the edge of the continental shelf. .

As the glaciers pushed southward, the slowly flowing ice crushed layers of rocks, ground the surface and carved channels into the earth. Two of the glacial cuts have become the East and West Passages which separate Conanicut Island from the western mainland and from Aquidneck Island (Newport).

Once warming began the glaciers retreated fairly rapidly. Rhode Island became glacier-free about 15,000 years ago. The retreating glaciers left terminal moraines (deposits of rocks and other material pushed southward as the glacier advanced) and other deposits of soil and rocks from northern New England.

Since Rhode Island glaciers melted before those located further north, a significant amount of the world’s water was still frozen when the area became ice-free. As a result, sea level was about 150 feet lower than it is today and the area was many miles from the sea (as shown on the right). The glacial cuts that would become the East and West Passages were shallow valleys with streams and rivers.

Arrival of Native Americans

The first humans probably appeared in the area about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. They undoubtedly spent most of their time close to ancient streams and rivers.

As more northern ice sheets melted, the sea level rose and salt water eventually flowed into and filled the lowest-lying areas, creating Narragansett Bay. The rising sea level not only changed the landscape, it forced animals and people to move to higher elevations and it submerged most traces of the earliest inhabitants. The oldest human artifacts that have been found on Conanicut Island date from around 3000 BC.

By 1300 BC Jamestown was home (at least a seasonal basis) to many Native Americans. The largest Indian cemetery in New England is located on the island; and artifacts spanning a three-thousand year period have been recovered from the site (near West Ferry). Early European explorers and settlers reported several thousand Wampanoag and Narragansett Indians living in the Narragansett Bay area.

European Settlement

In 1524, the Italian navigator Giovani Verrazzano became the first European conclusively known to visit Narragensett Bay. He did not stay in the area for long, as he was on a journey of exploration, not settlement.

In 1636 or 1637, Dutch fur traders purchased the island of Quentenis and used it as a base for their activities. This island, located just west of Conanicut, is now known as Dutch Island and is part of Jamestown.

In 1638 the English made arrangements to use Conanicut Island for grazing sheep. One of the Narragansett sachems who gave consent was Canonicus. (As a result of these events, the name "Conanicut" was given to the island and the figure of a sheep is in a central position in the Jamestown seal.)

In 1657 a consortium of about one hundred buyers purchased Conanicut, Dutch and Gould Islands. They divided Conanicut Island into roughly one dozen large plots and reserved Dutch Island and parts of Conanicut Island for common use. Benedict Arnold, one of the purchasers, became governor of the colony of Rhode Island the same year. He returned to the office several times - in 1662, 1663, 1669 and 1677.

The Native Americans and newly arrived colonists lived side-by-side in relative peace for almost four decades. Unfortunately, conflicts eventually occured in a number of places in southern New England, leading to what is known as King Philip's War. Although Conanicut Island remained a haven for many Native Americans, after 1676, life in the region was dominated by the colonists.

Ferries were in operation between Conanicut Island and Newport by 1675. In 1678, Jamestown was incorporated. The town's name honored Prince James, later King James II. It had about 150 residents. By 1700, the agriculturally-prosperous town had about 200 residents.

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The Eighteenth Century

Growth as a Colony - The War for Independence - After Independence

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