[livius]

Well, I know that the Spanish didn’t fail altogether in Florida, because I still live in one of their settlements: St Augustine, established in 1565. It’s the oldest European settlement in what is now the US.

[Thunder90]

PING

[SevenofNine]

IT well known fact that Vikings were here first see Native Americans

[muawiyah]

Spain eventually succeded in building settlements in Texas and the Mississippi Valley. They may have even set up a fort at Marietta Ohio but later British efforts there overbuilt on the site of the fort so no one has any idea whether it was an early Spanish fort or a much later French fort.

They had initiated a survey by 1598 (when King Philippe II/III ascended the throne) which was followed up by an even more intense survey effort once the Treaty of London 1604 was promulgated.

Early ~ 1500s - settlements had a variety of problems with a rather severe drought on the East Coast (that may also have affected much of the Midwest and Great Plains) .

This field is wideopen for internet archaeology. There are all sorts of private records out there that make mention of things that could only be known by someone here before the subdivision of North America. Some of them are backed up by archaeology ~ many aren't ~ but there's plenty of opportunity for the astute observer to make some real finds.

There are no easy answers ~ like "the Vikings did it" ~ most all of the Viking finds involve little more than the use of a type of Rune alphabet well known by 1500s Swedes. Sure, it'd be great to find some Vikings, but who are those Swedes here in the 1500s? That's equally enigmatic.

A mystery I'm leaving for others is the old town core of Helena Mt. There are two of them! One North of the crick. One South. The crick was full of gold. Both town layouts conform to the rules and standards of the Spanish "Law of the Indies" ~ these things were old when the locals turned into the Comanches and rode off to raid in Texas!

Local amateur archaeologists have probably got an idea of whether or not this is a pre-Jamestown settlement ~ accessible from the Columbia river, but they haven't published, so they must have found some truly interesting stuff that will allow them to write books that others will pay good money for.

I'm sure there's something to look for there but has it been found. Time will tell.

[Ditter]

read later

[OldNewYork]

Very interesting.

[yarddog]

I am going on an old memory but if I am right, when the English, Jamestown settlers first set foot on what is now Virginia Beach, they noted a White couple living in a hut near the beach and living mostly on oysters.

[sean327]

The old Spanish families of New Mexico beg to differ. My family settled in what is now Sandoval County in 1598.

[Slyfox]

A little bit of Texas history.

The Spanish friars at the Alamo wondered if the land would ever be settled. Because it was one thing to attain the land but it was another thing to fill it with settling families willing to maintain the ranches. That is why the Spanish were happy to have some Catholic families help to settle the land, even if they were English.

[Rebelbase]

“Fort San Juan was another failed Spanish effort in what is now western North Carolina in 1566 and 1567. “

This fort is now known as the Jora site and has been located and currently being excavated.

It wasn’t so much a settlement as it was a fort in Western NC to cover the back door while Juan Pardido raided into TN.

Speculation goes that a skeleton force stayed behind while Pardido and most of the troops returned to SC. The indians grew tired of the europeans puny presence and dispatched them.

[Pharmboy]

Thanks for the post, presidio9, and for the ping, SunkenCiv. Great summary.

San Miguel de Gualdape, 1526

The RevWar/Colonial History/General Washington ping list

[gop4lyf]

I have a confirmed, direct ancestor, my 14th great grandfather, who helped settle Jamestown. He arrived in 1609 on the Star.

[SkyPilot]

I guess they didn’t have EBT cards back then.

[Squawk 8888]

Port Royal, New France could not be considered a failed colony. It had some hiccups but remained a going concern, and today is known as Annapolis, Nova Scotia. My own ancestors were among its original settlers and the family still has a strong presence there and throughout Nova Scotia. It was the first successful European settlement in north of present-day Florida. The French colonists had plenty of incentive to stick it out because Bourbon France was a third-world hellhole.

[Tennessee Nana]

My family were late arrivals...

They didnt arrive in the New World until 1623/24

Jesse De Forest was my 9th great grandfather...he took the Pigeon to Dutch Guinea and died there...son Isaac who arrived in 1637 had the first or one of the first breweries and taverns in NYC...on Brewers/Stone Street..

Another 9th gg Phillippe Du Trieux arrived on the Neiuw Nederlandt to NYC... Jesse De Forest had arranged for the group of 30 Walloon/Huguenot families to come here from Leyden...the first settlers in the area...

3 of the Du Trieux daughters are my ancestors...Maria married Jan Peeke of Peekskill..Sarah married Isaac De Forest...Rebecca married Simon Simonszen Groot...