Navisink

The Navesink were a Lenape people of the coast around Sandy Hook and the river that bears their name. They shared the turtle totem and the Unami language with neighbouring groups, including the Raritan. Their territory included the sandy peninsula and the highlands to its south, with settlements along the creeks and cliffs.

In 1609 Henry Hudson's ship encountered the Navesink; a member of its crew, John Colman, was killed during a clash. Dutch investors later bought land in the area, and in 1665 English settlers negotiated the Monmouth Patent with the Navesink. In 1668 Richard Hartshorne bought the peninsula and called it Portland Poynt. The settlement of Red Bank, founded on the river in 1736, took its name from the river's red banks.