Adriaen Block

Adriaen Block (* 1567, † 1627 ) was a Dutch fur traders and helmsman, who explored the coastal areas and river valleys between present-day New Jersey and Massachusetts on four trips he undertook from 1611 in the years up to 1614. He was following the route of the expedition by Henry Hudson. He is known to have taken early trade contacts with the Indians. Moreover, in the map that he made based on his fourth voyage, many details of the mid-Atlantic region mapped for the first time, as well as the name Nieuw Nederland. Next he is considered the first European who traveled the Long Iceland Sound and the Connecticut River and found that Manhattan and Long Iceland are islands.

Block expeditions

Early voyages (1611-1612)

On Hudson's first contact with the Indians in the Hudson Valley in 1609 decided to go Dutch traders in Amsterdam that the area it is worth to be explored. They assumed that the area could be a possible source for the trade in beaver pelts. This was at that time a lucrative business in Europe.

The following year, in 1610 a ship under Captain Monnikendam Symen Lambertsz Mau on the Hudson River was lost. Again, a year later, a group of traders block and another captain named Hendrick Christiaensen commissioned thus to return to the area that Hudson had explored. From this trip, they brought furs and two sons of a chief back to Europe. The prospect of successful trading prompted the States-General to make the parliament of the Dutch Republic, a statement that one of discovery of new countries, ports and crossings an exclusive license for four voyages was that he could do within the next three years into the newly discovered territory. This license was subject to the condition that the applicant handed in a detailed report within fourteen days after his return.

Expedition of 1614

In 1613 he undertook his fourth trip in the lower reaches of the Hudson River on the ship Tyger. He was accompanied by several other ships, had the merchandise on board. While the Tyger in lower Manhattan was at anchor, it was destroyed as a result of an accident by fire. During the winter he and his team built with the help of Indians from the tribe of the Lenni Lenape, a 42 foot long ship of sixteen tons, the Onrust. This means riots or unrest. With this ship, he explored the East River, and became the first known European to (now Hellgate ) the Hellegat sailed and penetrated in the Long Iceland Sound. On his journey along the Long - Iceland - Sund he drove up the Housatonic River. He named it River of Red Hill. He also drove up the Connecticut River and reached at least to the level of present-day Hartford, 60 miles upriver. The Long - Iceland - Sund leaving behind he charted block Iceland, which is named after him, and the Bay of Narragansett. There he possibly named as an island " Roode Eylandt ", which is known today as the Anglicized Rhode Iceland. The name could be derived from the red color of the soil, as roode is Dutch for red. In Cape Cod finally met with one of the other expedition ships and returned with this, leaving the Onrust back to Europe.

Compagnie van Nieuwnederlant ( Neuniederland - company )

After his return presented a block map of his voyage, together with all known to him at that time information. This card was the first block, the designated the area between the English Virginia and French Canada as " New Netherland ". It was also the first that represented Long Iceland as island.

On March 27, 1614 block, Christiaensen and a group of twelve merchants brought in the States-General an application in order to obtain exclusive trading rights for the explored area. The formed their company named Compagnie van Nieuwnederlant ( Neuniederland - company ) were granted exclusive rights to three years for trade between the 40th and 45th parallel.