Colonization and the Iroquois

Then and Now: Archeology at Fort Stanwix

Archeology Home		European Colonization and the Iroquois 1620 to 1768 As early as 1634, European traders visited the Oneidas and described their villages.
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	During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, this area fell under the control of the Oneidas, part of the Iroquois confederacy. The land route between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek was called the Great Carry. This location was of key importance in the fur trade, as it connected the fur-producing regions of the west with the Euro-American markets in the east.
A series of forts were built here to protect the Great Carry during the colonial competition between France and England. The latest of these forts, Fort Stanwix, was also used as a meeting place between the British and Native Americans, particularly the Iroquois. In 1768, Fort Stanwix was used as a point on the western border of British territory with the Iroquois.
	The land on which Rome now stands was split off by the colonial government. The area was called the Oriskany Patent.