Fortunately, criminals and runaway husbands did not make up the bulk of the immigrants that migrated to Delaware in its early years. New Sweden was also blessed with hardy, thrifty, hardworking Swedes, and a few Finns. Most came equipped for this hard life in the New World by bringing with them farm animals, farming tools, grains, clothing, guns, and other items that could be traded to the Indians for furs.
Colonel Johan Printz
Aboard one of the ships that arrived in New Sweden/Delaware was Colonel Johan Printz who was to serve as the colony's governor. Printz was ambitious and was determined to see to it that new buildings were built and that tobacco was grown. His other endeavors included having more timber cut from the forest and that trade with the Indians be increased, as well as with the Dutch and English but to a lesser degree.
Printz must have surely presented a formidable site as he directed all of these activities. He has been described as "a mountain of a man, enormous, colossal, stupendous, vast beyond description, or belief." And surely he deserved, and had earned, all of these descriptions. The man weighed in at 400 pounds.
Toil, Trouble, and Strife
At last, all seemed well, peaceful, and prosperous for a time. Whether this was truly so or merely an illusion it was not to endure. Soon, the Swedes, the Dutch, and the English were all scrambling for land and striving to increase their own individual trade with the Indians.
New Netherland Governor Takes Over
In 1651, Fort Casimir was built near the present site of New Castle. One reference states that
Governor Peter Stuyvesant of New Netherland, later called New York, built Fort Casimir. However, more trouble followed when the Swedes ousted the Dutch from this fort. The Dutch retaliated by capturing Fort Christina and all of New Sweden.
Colonial America Series continues with:
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