Wicontiss

Wicontiss lies in the Susquehanna valley of south-central Pennsylvania, a country of wooded hills and river flats along the great river that drains into Chesapeake Bay. Susquehannock and Conoy (Piscataway) communities lived along the river, fishing the current and planting maize on the fertile bottomlands. Trails linked the valley with the Chesapeake and the Potomac, and canoes carried furs and goods along the water. The English founded Maryland in 1634, and colonial traders soon pressed up the rivers toward the Susquehannock towns. Competition for furs and land brought disease, war and new political pressure to these communities, who sought to keep their own alliances and trade routes.