American Indian tribes settled the valley

Delawares: The Muncee Tribe of the Delaware Indians had settled in Orange County; left the area by 1740.

Esopuses: Rhinebeck area. In 1686, three Esopus Indians signed a deed selling land to the Kip family.

Kitchawongs: Peekskill in northern Westchester County.

Mahicans: Catskill in Greene County. Henry Hudson who arrived in 1609 is thought to be the first white man to visit Catskill. He recorded he found "a very loving people'' and often traded with the Mahicans.

Mohawks: Took over Mahican land in Catskill in 1625.

Wappingers: The Pachami branch of the Wappinger Indians settled near Fishkill and Beacon. Wiccapee and Shenandoah tribes had burial grounds on nearby Denning Point.

This information is from "The Hudson,'' by Arthur G. Adams.

In another interesting note from his book, Adams says Dutchess County was originally populated by the Wappinger Indians. On Aug. 8, 1683, English settlers bargained to purchase a tract of land from Nimham, chief of the Wappingers.

"They, in fact, cheated the Indians,'' Adams wrote. "First they bargained to purchase for a given price 'all the land they could see,' and then conducted the Indians to the top of South Beacon Mountain, the highest elevation between the Catskills and the seacoast and indicated a tract of land 16 miles back from the Hudson to the Taconics.

"The Indians honored this bargain for many years, but in 1740 Chief Daniel of the Wappingers sought to have it set aside in a celebrated law trial ... to no avail."