40 HISTORY OF DELAWARE COUNTY. [1645. 



" At a little distance from this fort was a creek to the farthest 

 distant wood which place is named Kinsessing by the savages." 

 This is designated " Minquas creek," on the "map of the first 

 settlements, &c." contained in this volume, and is still known 

 in the neighborhood under the corrupted name of Minkus. That 

 the name assigned to this creek on our map is the one it bore in 

 very early times, is confirmed by a conveyance of Marsh mea- 

 dow bordering on it, by Lasse Cock to James Hunt, bearing date 

 27th of 3rd mo. 1685,^ in which that name is applied to it, and 

 is conclusive in establishing its identity Avith the creek referred 

 to by Hudde. This being established, there will be but very lit- 

 tle difiiculty in fixing, approximately, the site of the " strong 

 house" built by the Swedes. This creek for some distance 

 borders on the fast land, and as the remainder of its course was 

 through grounds overflowed or partially overflowed at every high 

 tide, there is no room to doubt that the " strong house" occupied 

 some point on this margin of fast land. " About half a [Dutch] 

 mile further in the woods. Governor Printz had constructed a 

 mill, &c." This distance accords very nearly with the location 

 assigned to the " strong house" of the persevering and avarici- 

 ous Swedes. 



There is an additional reason for locating this Indian and 

 Swedish trading post, at the point mentioned, in the fact, that 

 at this point there are several springs of water in the margin of 

 the marsh. 



Hudde at this time, estimates the whole force of the Swedish 

 governor at from eighty to ninety men, "freemen as well as 

 servants with whom he must garrison all his strong places." But 

 the Dutch force on the river at the same time, and for some 

 years afterwards was utterly insignificant, even when compared 

 with that of the Swedes. In 1648 they had but six able bodied 

 men on the river.^ 



Jan Jansen Van Ilpendam, who had held the office of Com- 

 missary at the Dutch Fort Nassau, on account of improper con- 

 duct was recalled, and Hudde appointed in his stead, who proved 

 himself a more efficient officer in resisting Swedish aggressions, 

 at least with paper missiles. He repaired the fort, which he found 

 in a dilapidated and destitute condition. 



The accidental destruction of Fort Gottenburg by fire, hap- 

 pened on the 5th of December, in the year 1645.'* This circum- 

 stance is not mentioned by Campanius, though it must have 



1 Recorder's office, Philadelphia, book E, i. 492. The deed after describing other 

 tracts contains the followinf; : " also my right, title and interest in the marsh meadow, 

 bounded southward with MinqtiaHs cre<:k to the eastward with the Schuylkill river, to 

 the northward with Laud's creek, and to the westward with some of the same land." 

 On Hill's map of" Philadelphia and Environs" generally known as " Hill's map of 

 Ten miles around Philadelphia" published in 1808, this creek is called " Mimjo creek." 



'^ Hist. New Netherland, ii. 82. 3 Hudde's Rep. 429. 



