On an overcast November day in 1620, the Pilgrims ended their
hazardous crossing of the Atlantic and stepped ashore. To them
it seemed "but a hideous and desolate wilderness, full of wild
beasts and wild men." ^l Dedicated to placing the land in God's
service, they established a foothold on the American continent.

Although many early settlers thought they had come to vir-
gin territory, the Indians had inhabited the eastern seaboard for
more than ten thousand years. Native Americans in northern
New England depended primarily on hunting and gathering;
others farther south had developed productive agriculture,
growing corn and beans. They used fire to clear the land of un-
dergrowth for fields and to open it for game such as deer, tur-
keys, and quail. Their repeated use of the same village sites re-
sulted in the depletion of soil fertility in neighboring fields and
of local firewood, but these problems proved temporary. The
Indians Understood their environment well, used a variety of
food sources through the changing seasons, and treated the land
with care and respect. As a result they maintained a stable way
of life century after century.

-1-