The History Before the History

History did not begin when Europeans mistakenly stumbled upon North America.

Literature about early settlement in the Adirondacks makes little mention of the people that inhabited the northeastern region before "western civilization" took hold. To their credit, books point out that natives in fact existed, and they traded with the Europeans before dying off in great numbers. However, their accounts paint a dim picture of the people that were once intimately connected with this land.

There is a long, rich history that has helped to shape and set the foundation for wilderness culture as we experience it today. This history began with natives, who survived in the Adirondack wilderness before it became American property.

The Iroquois was a league of indian tribes who controlled a large stretch of land that included much of the Northeast, the Great Lakes area and bits of the south. These tribes banded together between 1450 and 1600 in order to quell their incessant skirmishes and feuds. Once the peace treaty was established, the Iroquois tribes became the foremost power in the region.

The downfall of the Iroquois can be directly attributed to the Europeans, although their descent from power was not instantaneous. At first, the indians and the Europeans traded goods. The Dutch, French, and English capitalized on the native peoples' hunting acumen and knowledge of the area. The natives purchased weapons, among other western tools, textiles, and vestments.

Eventually, the Iroquois and other native peoples developed a dependance on European goods. The tribes therefore fought to keep their hold on the fur trade, which served as the main link between the tribes and European goods. Ultimately, the pressure for control of the land was so great that native tribes all but annihilated each other. The remaining natives were decimated by disease and ultimately pushed out of their homelands by European settlers.