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HISTORY Jamaica was bought for a drink.
It happened in 1655, when Dutch settlers arrived in the area around Jamaica Bay. They orginally cut a deal with the local Indians - both the Canarsee Indians and Rockaway Indians held claims - to buy the land for eight bottles of liquor. But the Indians drove a hard bargain, and the Dutch ended up also giving up some guns, blankets, kettles, gunpowder and lead.
The area became know as Rustdorp, or "Peaceful Village." The English arrived in 1656 in a northern portion called "Xemaco" or Beaver Pond. In 1683, the British created Queens County and, three years later, chartered the land to Gov. Thomas Dongan, who officially renamed it Jamaica. By 1702, it was the state capital and the seat of the British royal governor.
CATTLE RAISING
In colonial days, fishing, farming, and cattle raising were the major industries. By 1683, more than 600 head of cattle grazed in Jamaica, and by the 1700s, a large portion of New York City meat was supplied by Jamaica. A town "cow keeper" was hired to drive animals to the fields, and earmarks were used to distinguish cattle ownership. This method, however, did not stop the...
