Seaconke The First Frontier

The History of Seekonk does not begin with incorporation in 1812, with the deeded purchase in 1641, or even when Ousemequin offered Roger Williams shelter and a place to live in 1636. History is defined as:” a chronological record of significant events. .The history of Seaconke begins under thousands of feet of ice, and “billions” of megatons of weight.

The Laurentide Ice Sheet stretched across most of North America, from the Rockies to the Atlantic, from the Arctic to New Jersey . Some 50,000 years ago climate change, caused by global warming of the atmosphere. The result was Glaciers around the world, began a slow recession north. A glacier is the Earths largest force of nature. Glaciers move slowly, deliberately with creeks, cracks, cries and rumbles. The Laurentide Ice sheets recession tore a hole that filled with glacier water creating a lake that later succumbed to rising ocean water and created what we call today Narraganset Bay. On the east side of the bay the glaciers recession stripped the land flat forming a desolate great plain.

Over time, the great plain flourished due to prevailing winds, birds dispersing seeds, and a jet stream supplying essential water. The lakes and bay became inhabited by fish and various aquatic species. Subsequently, small animals arrived, further shaping and cultivating the landscape. Large animal herds—such as elk on the plains, mammoths in the forests, and mastodons in the swamps—contributed significantly to the region’s development. Eventually, humans, the apex predators, entered the great plain and influenced the environment.

The early people known in native history as the ancient ones, were resourceful and curious, and did not come to stay; they followed the game. Adapting to the transforming world around them, they fashioned tools from stone and bone. The ancient ones survived largely on protein; they followed animal migrations and fished in the brackish waters. Over time, their presence shaped the environment, leaving behind traces of campfires and carved stones that hint at their lives among rising trees and deepening waters. The stage was set for thousands of years of change, as the legacy of ice, water, and humankind became woven into the land’s unfolding tapestry.

The Charles H Reed Archeological Collection

The Reed family had owned a Farm located where the Runnins River flows into the estuary that begins the Barrington River, since the 1600’s. Charles H. Reed collected on his farm Native artifacts from 1915-1940. He collected 772 pieces in total. From 1969 through 1974 the Reed farm became an Archaeological dig site. Some of the collection and the records are held by the Seekonk Library



Charles H. Reed collection bears witness to first people to settle the Great Plain.
1. Palio Period – Archaeologists refer to the earliest people of this era as Palio Indians. These groups moved through southern New England around 12,500 years ago, living as nomadic hunters and gatherers. The Wamsutta site in Canton, Massachusetts, was dated to about 12,000 years ago.
2. Archaic Period – As the temperature continued to warm, a wider variety of foods were available to gather. The Charles Reed dig site in Seekonk, Ma. is a typical Archaic site. People continually occupied the area around 100 Acre Cove, the Palmer, Barrington, and Runnins rivers. The Reed site dates between 3,000 – 10,000 years ago.
3. Woodland Period – breaks into three separate periods of development.
Early Woodlands (3,000-1500 years ago) saw permanent settlements and tribal communities emerging.
Middle Woodlands (1800-1200 years ago) - Agriculture arrived from the southwest about 1,000 years ago, with corn, beans, and squash; the ("Three Sisters") became dietary staples. This improved the nutrition of the inhabitants and reduced dependence on protein.

Late Woodlands (1300 to 400 years ago) The spread of Algonquin-speaking people out of the Great Lakes region. They introduced a common language, aiding communication, trade, and cooperation among people, groups, and tribes. They traveled along rivers east southeast routes to the ocean and the first frontier. This period saw the development of more sophisticated tools and weapons. The bow and arrow replaced the spear as the primary weapon and hunting tool, 750 to 1500 years ago.

Community
The Reed collection is archeological proof that around 9,000 years ago, during the Archaic Period, individuals began traversing and subsequently settled on the great plain, situated within a dense forest. This "great plain" consisted of grasslands devoid of trees and was approximately 50 to 80 feet above sea level, encompassing an area of roughly 100 square miles (10 miles by 10 miles). Numerous rivers and streams crossed this plain, ultimately draining into the “great river” or the Bay.

After settling in southern New England, clans and bands merged forming governments called tribes. Larger tribes dominated over subtribes. Tribe formed federations and confederations for strong dominance over and area. Including inter-tribal diplomacy, protection of hunting grounds and borders. Tribes in Southern New England had religious, educational, and military institutions; They had an economy based on agriculture and craftsmanship of goods that could be traded. They used the existing network of trails and waterways for transporting goods and people.

On the Great Plain the “Three Sisters” could be grown in mass. Portion of the crop yield could be stored in protected inland facilities to be available in the winter, and part could be shipped around the territory by waterway. The convergence of the ten-mile river and the great river became a place to move products and people. The ten-mile flowed ten miles inland and from the great river. On the great river cargo could be moved north almost to Woonsocket hills, west through the Moshassuck River, and south into the bay which could reach coastal tribal villages.

What is in a Name
The Algonquin language and its dialects are spoken and not written. They are driven by interpretation. For example, the word tree is tugq. The tug = the sound axe, a common tool or weapon hitting a tree making a commonly known sound This became the universal name for a tree. A tree would be called Mehtugq (singular) and Mehtugquash (plural) for many trees or forests.

The Great Plain, the village, and the Great River all shared the same name, derived from the most populous animal in the region—the black goose. Where the 10-mile river meets the Great River, there's an estuary containing an island. Long before native peoples settled there, this area was inhabited by migrating geese, especially Branta Canadensis, commonly known as the Canadian Black Goose.

The rivers that flowed into the great river and their estuaries provided a source of food; the great plain provided ample space to land. This location served as an annual stopover for the black goose during their migration south and north. The Native population observed the birds, noted their presence by both sound and scent, and witnessed the sky darken upon their unified departure. In his work, "A Key into the Language of America," Roger Williams remarks that the area was specifically named after these birds. Leonard Bliss further explains that, as Indigenous peoples did not have a written language, all place names that have been preserved originate from early colonial records.

Tribal history was stored in various ways. Being that there was no written language, they kept an oral history housed in the memory of people that were trained to keep it. History was stored in the traditions, and practices they kept. Many ceremonies featuring descriptive dance were regularly held. They had Wampum belts, long belts designed to keep their history alive. Passed down through generations, Wampum belts used wampum, purple and white shells to tell their story. Their oral traditions are based on their known truth that they were always here, that our community today has always been their home.

Thus, their remembered history begins here in this community. It begins when they become a tribe. Science tells us that differing people made a great journey. But that is not remembered nor is it a part of the native history and traditions.

The story of our community is epic. It is a story of people opening a frontier in search of a better life. The First Frontier became that place. Through millennia of time the First Frontier has become a home to people native and alike, people that seek to live their best life. The First Frontier is made up of a great river, a great plain, and a vital village that carries the name “Seaconke”.

The author may be contact with any questions through email at mpm9566@gmail.com 
23 Feb 2026