Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-05
EARLY EXPLORATIONS.
The Potomac River as Seen by the First
Noyagers.

SOME OF THE INTERESTING DATA As FOUND on
RARE OLD HISTORICAL MAPs-cAPT. JOHN
SMITH VISITS TIE roToUAC-THE ADVENTURES
OF CAPT. HENRY FLUTE, TEE TIEsr EUROPEAN
TO SAIL PAST TIE SITE OF THIS crTT.
There is an old map in the possession Of VI.
Hugh I. Taggart. which printed in Lon
don some time. Mr.. Taggart thinks in the frs I
half Of the last century. tn, locality about
this city rs depicted Gu TIE map is thus inter
essiEgly described b NJ. Taggirt:
The Anacostia ri a- or Eastern branch is
Indicated bat it is . AIMED: the main river
above the mouth o: the Anacostia is shown
upon it as a long but otherS.se Insignificant
stream. 10 which is given tbs unromantic but
suggestive name of ''Tursp Euzzard run; !"
To the point az the arsenal Is given the name OF
Turkey Buzzar6 Point" That poin: continued
to be known Turkey BuzZard Point down
to the time when the federal capital laid
out 4; then became known as Young
Point" taking the name from Notiev Young
the owner of the and. Il vas later called
'G-eenleaf's Point" after James Greenleas
. large purchaser OF lots in .he new CITY. which
were located in its vicinity. Finally IL took the
name it now bears from the military discs to
which 1t put by TIL government. Two
islands appear on this map IN Turkey Barnard
run just above Its confluence with the Ana
costa. which called the 'Anacustian Isl
aads." One OF these we have dificulIy in
recognizing as the present Auslosian o. Masor's
Island. and the other sks island which
formerly existed at The Virginia end OF the
Long bridge, called at time Holmes
Island" and later "Aiexandsr'S Island"
WHAT ANOTHER MAP SHOWS.
In this connection 7 NAV add that several
years ago 1 saw in the clerks office OF Fair
fax county coa-. map which It is probable had
teea prepared prior to the revolutionary war
with ,hs object Of vniiShienlIg the court as to
the preienslOns of the Iartie= to- an ejectment
suit. and which showed profile of the river on
the Virginia side from point below the Four
nliis run Is far up the present Aqueduet
bridge. Upon the nap the two islands
del,Eeated: IN. lower one bears the name of
Holmes Island. and the o-e above II, viz,
Analostan Or Nlsols island. bears the name OF
Ny Lord : Island" Whether the latte, took
this naE,e from NV Lord Baltimore. the
"TEer under the patent Tor NJ .ylsrG Of the
lani this side % the river. or froza Ny
Lord Fairfax" the owner under the patca- for
the northern meek o. Virginia OF the land on
the other SIDE. might be made the subject of a
cGrious historical controversy involving the
ancient long-cOntinaed and but recently se:-
lied dispute between Maryland and Virginia
as to the boundary line between them on the
Potomac.
Auaiostan Island Obtained still another
name. viz. ''EaI BADGES through a survey
m1d- OF 1t b. tire Colouia; authorities OF
Iaryiand for fai;. Randolph Brandt on
the 18th day o. April. l6S2. and through the
patent granted 20 him Tor ii by Lord Baltimore.
Il Is described in the certificate of survey and
patent a. IAN I-iand living IN the Potomac river
over against tJca creek. n Charles county.
COMMONLY called or known by ths name o: Ana
losIian Island aiming DIV estimation seventy
1--WE acres. 20 be hSld OF Zachian Manor, called
'GarbadoeE. On the re:t rolls OF Lord BEl;i-
more the tract Is carried ''Barbadoes' ard is
described as an island commonly called ANA
costlan Island, FROM which 1t appears that in
early days IL went iu1lfierenIiy bv either name
"AnalOstian' or ''AracOslian." IL passed into
the possession o. George Mason by a deed from
Francis HanIlnersiey dated August %, III,
hence me n.Ine 'liasons Island
THE ASAcosrAS INDIANS.
To whom Turkey Blizzard Po:nt'' was first
indebted .or its EsIle cannot now be asce--
tanned. but the nsI-e had its origin prior to the
year 1913. for it up. es-s upon TIE map pub
hshed IL that year as1 prepared by Augustine
Herman. bohemian. aId one Of tie eariy set
tiers upon the eastern sho-e of Maryland. Upon
Herman. : nap Occc3 ;.@a appears as ''AchquIn."
the middle "a Eagius been doubtless inGd-
vor.en.ly omitted. The nGme appears again
as ..Achquivin ON a map an speeds ''Theater
of the Empire o. Great Britain. published III
1916 These AID other cd maps preserved in
the Congressional Library present. a seductive
field Of investigation 10 the student of local
history.
shall mention brt one oste--senex's map
Of 1Il9. inscribed 70 the Earl OF Orkney and
published IN London in a work entitled "A
New General Atlas, between pages 240 and
24l. and TO this reference is made for the pur-
pose OF correcting an apparently erroneous
impression which prevails as to the location of
the town OF the Anacostan Indians. NELL and
Others. to whom We are indebted for sketches
of the early history of Mary land and Virginia.
locate these indians upon and near the site of
the city o. Warrington, and the fact that the
river which stili bears their name IS or The
Maryland side o, the Potomac would seem to
strongly support the prOpriety OF thus locating
them Senezs map locates them. however. on
the Virgin. side OF the river. and that he is
right IN so doing Is apparently confirmed by
the act of the assembly OF Virginia passed in
lS5S, prescribing TIE bounds Of Weslmoreland
county In that province. viz: From Machoac-
toke river. where Mr.. Cole lives and SO up
wards TO tine falls of the great river of PATIO
woneke above the Necostin's towre."
THE FAMOUS CAPT. SMITH.
But 20 return to Capt John Saith. Although
as We have seen that remarkable nan was not
the first European 20 reach this locality. nor
even the firss TO enter the Potomac his name
must be forever famous BY reason o. his iH-
po-isDce a. iac:o- IN the events which
marked the origin and preserved the germ of
VIVA; deyeiopec ard grew in part on is shore
INTO one of The greatest and most glorious Of
American CSInniC.-NC s.tns-Ihe state Of Viz
gina No sket-h which involves a mention of
Tie carly navIsS-Ors OF the river wCuid be
complete vItEC-!5 some G1.3ce Of him. Smith
mai his appearance IN the cpionv when
Ia Arst settlers had become feeble from
Climatic carse5 and dlspirited from in
terra! troubles and by the consian: menaees OF
lie powerful Indian tribes under Powhatan
A-;a by as --as.ess. courage tact and ability
be often saved them from destruction. On
june .. 1865. Smith LETT the English settlement
On ire James IN n open beat 20 explore the
uppSs past c: The Chesapeake bay. He
"a accompanied by fourteen others
seven % whom E-s eslriIsd as gen
usineL AID seven as ''souIdierT" His
intention WAS TO coass along the eastern
sho-e on The way up. and along the western
sho-e on his return. but after several DAYS lie
Wa COMPEL 4 10 abandon the eastern shore
and 10 eros to the ether side on accoun. o. the
difficulty OF Obtaining good drinking water.
Alter beng out twelve fourteen DAYS his
men. tl.ed with liDOr at the oars anG their
bread spoiled with water TO the degree OF rot
;tnEe-s. became discouraged and impor.uned
him ." return. stating their fears that thew
would be lost '-ln these unknown large waters
or be swallowed up IN some stormy gust" He
ended. ;EeIl tor their fears. cxhorted them to
regain their spirit. and asserted that he would
ho- return until he had fo1Ed the head of the
wa.ers ;beE ''cOncelted 20 be endless"
at wi s,r1 Inc -