The Long Island Sound is a marine sound that lies between Connecticut and Long Island, New York. This sound has a long, rich history and its waters are incredibly deep. In fact, the Long Island Sound is 230 feet deep at the deepest point. The sound is brackish, a mix of freshwater from rivers and saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean. This article explores Long Island Sound including the history of Long Island as well as the ecology and recreation activities available on the sound.
The Long Island Sound is home to beautiful, sandy beaches and an abundance of wildlife.
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The Founding of Long Island
Long Island was first inhabited by the Lenape people, who were later called the Delaware people by Europeans. The ancestral lands of the Lenape people include parts of present-day Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York, including the Long Island Sound. Lenape people practiced hunting, fishing, farming, and herbal medicine.
The first European to document an encounter with the Lenape people was Giovanni da Verrazzano, an Italian explorer, in 1524. Later, in the 17th century, the island was settled by Dutch, English, and Swedish people. A peace treaty was negotiated between the Lenape people and the Europeans, organized by the English Quaker William Penn. However, the arrival of tens of thousands of new colonists during the next decades reduced the hunting grounds of the Lenape people, disrupting their lifeways. Then, in 1758, the Lenape people signed the Treaty of Easton and moved west to Ohio. The Lenape people moved several times after that, ultimately settling in Oklahoma.
In 1788, New York ratified the United States Constitution, becoming the 11th U.S. state….
