.30 AMERICAN MUSEUM GUIDE LEAFLETS 



all appear to have been on the original ground surface, although those 

 farther up the liill were some four feet under the present surface. In one 

 of these pocket-, was found the complete skeleton of a dog 1 ; in another, 

 a turtle shell; two others contained complete snake skeletons; while a fifth 

 held the fragments of a small pottery vessel. The pockets were small, 

 being about three feet in diameter and of equal depth, showing no signs 

 of having fir-t been used as lire place- and then filled up, though charcoal 

 was scattered among the shells. Almost all the relics from Van Cortlandt 

 Park were found by Mr. .lame- in pocket- similar to these. 



During Indian troubles in l(i7.">. the Wickquaskeeks at Ann"- Hook, 

 now Pelham Neck were told "to remove within a fortnight to their usual 

 winter quarters within Hellgate upon this island." Hiker says, "This 

 winter retreat was either the woodlands between Harlem Plain- and Kings- 

 bridge, at that date -till claimed by these Indian- as hunting grounds, or 

 Rechawanes and adjoining land- on the Bay of Hellgate, a- the words 

 'within Hellgate' would strictly mean, and which, by the immense shell- 

 beds found there formerly, i- proved to have been a favorite Indian resort." 2 

 A little later the Indians asked to he allowed to return to their maize land- 

 on Manhattan Island and the Governor -aid that they, "if they desire it. 

 he admitted with their wive- and children, to plant upon this Island, hut 

 nowhere else, if they remove: and that it he upon the north point of the 

 Island near Spuyten Duyvel." 3 



Mr-. Mary A. Bolton Post, in writing to the editor of "The Evening 

 Post," June 19th of the year of the opening of the Harlem Ship Canal 1 1 - 

 -peak- of some Indian- who were allowed to cam]) on the south side of Spuv- 

 ten Duyvil Creek on the Bolton property in 1817. Buttenher says that the 

 Reckgawawanos had their principal village at Yonker-. hut that on Berrien's 

 Neck Spuyten Duyvil Hill ) was situated their castle or fort called Nipinich- 

 sen. Tin- fort was protected by a strong stockade and commanded the ro- 

 mantic scenery of the Papirinimen, or Spuyten Duyvil Creek, and the 

 Mahicanituk (Hudson River), the junction of which was called the Shor- 

 ackappock. It was from this castle that the Indian- came who attacked 

 Hudson on hi- retu n down the river. 4 Some -mall -hell deposits occur on 

 Spuyten Duyvil Hill, but as yet this "castile" has not been definitely located. 

 The village site at Yonker-. according to Mr. James, i- now covered by 

 buildings; hut several relic- found near the site year- ago are now in the 

 Manor Hall at that place (1904). 



1 AU that could be saved of this skeleton has been presented to the Museum by .Mr. 



in Hall. 

 - History of Harlem, p. 366. 

 3 Ibid., p. 369. 



' Kuttenber, pp. 77 



