Before Penn - An Illustrated History of The Deleware River Colonies By Hal Taylor

Description Before Penn provides the little known but fascinating history of the European settlement of the Delaware River Valley prior to the founding of Philadelphia by William Penn. The background tells of a legendary visit to North America by Irish monk St. Brendan in the seventh century and continues with a litany of European explorers searching for a short cut through the North American continent that will lead to the treasures of the Far East. During the process, abundant natural resources are discovered, leading to competition among major powers. The foremost of these, The Dutch, grab a large region of the Northeast, including the Delaware River Valley, which they name New Netherland, and establish an extremely lucrative fur trade with the Native Americans. Eventually, disgruntled Dutch businessmen partner with Swedish backers to create a rival venture on the Delaware called New Sweden. The two nations squabble continuously over control of the fur trade with the Indians leading