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Before the
Europeans came, the people who lived in this area belonged to
the Canopus group of the Nochpeem band of the "Wappinger Indian
Confederacy". As part of the Mohican nation, they spoke the
Algonkian language.
In 1600 an estimated 4,700 members of this confederacy ranged
over an area that spread from Manhattan to Poughkeepsie, along
the Hudson River and extending eastward toward Connecticut.
The footpaths made by the Native Americans usually followed
the stream valleys. The first settlers followed these
footpaths and in the course of time, they became the roads we
know today as Peekskill Hollow, Canopus Hollow and Oscawana Lake
roads.
Native American villages were usually positioned on the side
hill, facing south, and within easy access to water. The
principal settlement in Putnam Valley is thought to have been in
the hollow at Canopus Hill and one of the largest villages in
the entire region. Other campsites might have been located
at Roaring Brook, Tompkins Corners and Adam Corners.
The Native Americans left us a legacy of their names. The
name Oscawana seems to have been a Native American personal
name. One of the signers of the deed dated 1682 at Croton
was a Native American named "Askawanes". In 1683, one "Oskewana"
sold a tract of land to the Van Cortlandt family. Wiccopee
is said to mean "house by the water". |
