1620 Pilgrim Granary Discovery Linked to Prior Native American Epidemic

Cape Cod, Massachusetts – In a pivotal moment following their 1620 arrival, Pilgrims exploring the Massachusetts Bay colony discovered a significant maize granary abandoned by the Nauset Indians. This discovery, crucial for the struggling English settlers, occurred amidst a devastating epidemic that had severely depopulated Native American communities in the region. Historical accounts suggest the Nauset, like many indigenous groups, succumbed to diseases to which they had no immunity.

The Pilgrims, desperate for provisions after their arduous transatlantic journey, encountered the granary in the area of present-day Eastham, within Nauset territory. Records indicate they seized the corn, leaving a note promising future restitution for the vital food supply. This initial interaction was followed by a skirmish, though the Nauset later formed an alliance with the Plymouth colonists.

Research indicates that an epidemic between 1616 and 1619 ravaged Native American populations along the New England coast, including the Nauset. One prominent hypothesis for the cause of this widespread illness is leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease transmitted by rodents. As stated in a historical summary, "> in 1620 the Pilgrims found a maize granary abandoned after all the Nauset Indians in the village died of a disease to which they were immunologically naive, probably leptosopirosis."

European black rats, often stowaways on ships, are believed to have introduced the bacterium, which then infected native species and contaminated fresh water sources. Native Americans, whose lifestyles involved extensive interaction with water for drinking, bathing, and food gathering, were particularly susceptible. Symptoms described in historical texts, such as fever, headache, epistaxis (nosebleeds), and jaundice, align with severe forms of leptospirosis.

The profound depopulation of the Nauset and other Wampanoag tribes significantly altered the landscape the Pilgrims encountered. Survivors like Squanto, a Patuxet man who had learned English after being abducted, played a critical role in assisting the Pilgrims, teaching them local agricultural methods. This pre-existing demographic collapse due to disease, while not solely responsible for the fate of Native Americans, undeniably facilitated European colonization.