Oldest Cities in the U. S. Pre-Colonial Colonial Immigration Destinations
Posted: Wednesday, January 03, 2007
by Mike Allen
10xMarketing
Many people think of colonial immigration as immigration that occurred during a period which seems to have spanned from about 1600-1775.2 For this article, I will be exploring 1) pre-colonial immigration to the United States (in my article this term could refer to anyone who discovered, explored or moved to the U.S.even for a short period of time--and 2) the two oldest cities in the U.S. or in other words, two great places that may be of interest to you if you are interested in geographical sites of pre-colonial immigration, geographical sites of colonial immigration (may or may not have occurred in great measure in these two cities) or the history of the U.S. in general.
Colonial Immigration in the Broadest Sense of the Words
Granted, you have probably already realized that I am using the term colonial immigration broadly, especially since some of the first explorers, soldiers and even settlers didnt plan on staying in the United States permanently. However, it seems that some settlers did stay to live in what would eventually become the two oldest cities in the U.S.
City #1: San Juan, Puerto Rico3 (1521): A Pre-Colonial Immigration Destination
Okay, so San Juan, Puerto Rico isnt exactly a U.S. state or city, but it is a U.S. commonwealth and is also an amazing vacation destination. Columbus, on his second voyage to the Americas, discovered the little island and according to my sources, decided to name the island San Juan Bautista and the port where they landed they called Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico means rich port and must have reflected what the Spanish felt were rich resources.
Colonization, or what could be termed pre-colonial immigration, began in 1508 or whereabouts, and in 1509 Juan Ponce de Leon, another Spanish explorer, became the gobernador (the governor) of San Juan Bautista. He was asked to leave his post as governor and my online sources seem to differ as to the reasons why he was asked to give up his responsibilities. One source4 stated that because Ponce de Leon was cruel (brutal in the sources exact words) to the native islanders, the Taino Indians, he was removed from his governorship. Another source5 says that because Diego Columbus (Columbuss son) presented a case for his right to certain land (due of course to his fathers explorations), he was awarded the right to governorship and that Ponce de Leon, who in my personal opinion seems rather like a tough, proud sort of person, didnt want to stay around and serve beneath him. Perhaps both reasons played a part; he may have absconded or faded away but at any rate he was no longer the governor.
Ten years later, in 1521, there were other changes in San Juan Bautista. For one, it wasnt San Juan Bautista anymore. The islands name and the popular port of Puerto Rico had an official name swap and from 1521 until today San Juan Bautista is the capital of the entire country, which is referred to as Puerto Rico. The capital today is known best as San Juan.
**Pre-Colonial Immigration Destinations in Puerto Rico**
For an old colonial view of Puerto Rico, take a day or two to explore Old San Juan. Old San Juan includes forts, castles, and the Teatro Tapia which is one of the oldest theaters in the new world.6
City #2: St. Augustine, Florida (1565): A Pre-Colonial Immigration Destination
Juan Ponce de Leon, who also played a part in the colonization of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the first known European to discover the region which he would soon call La Florida, which means the land of the flowers.7 Ponce de Leon first spotted La Florida in 1513.8
Spanish explorers/colonizers then tried to colonize certain regions of La Florida for years without success. The French had more success and established a fort near the St. Johns River. Spain, with hundreds of men, didnt want to be outdone by the French and decided to try and win back what they felt was theirs to fight for. When they arrived to La Florida, it was August 28th, or to the Spaniards, St. Augustine Day. Perhaps because of the day that they arrived or their admiration for St. Augustine, they fortified an area for their relatively small army and called it St. Augustine. The Spaniards were successful in crushing the French fort and winning the region for themselves. Thus this colonial region of Florida is still known as St. Augustine.9 It was truly events like this that helped to shape the ebb and flow of colonial immigration that would occur in the 16 and 1700s.
**Colonial Immigration Destinations in St. Augustine, Florida**
To see old colonial sites--and sites that are not quite so old--St Augustine is the oldest city you can travel to in the continental United States. Pre-colonial sites include the castle of San Marcos and the bridge of Lions, and the picturesque waterfront in the area. Other sites which may or may not be quite so old as the castle of San Marcos include an iglesia, or church, in St. Augustine and the St. Augustine lighthouse.10
If you are interested in genealogy you might want to trace the colonial immigration that occurred in your family, and if possible the pre-colonial immigration. You might find that some of your familys ancestors actually played a part in creating two of the oldest cities in the U.S. Make sure to enter the information you find on a family file pedigree resource discs and keep track of history for the future.
About the Author: Marci Crane is a web content specialist for 10x Marketing in Orem, Utah. For more information on colonial immigration or a family file pedigree resource disc, please feel free to contact a Price & Associates representative.
1The majority of the information in this article has been gleaned from the following web source: http://www.historiography101.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_historiography101_archive.html
2 http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
3 http://topuertorico.org/history.shtml
4 http://www.historiography101.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_historiography101_archive.html
5 http://www.topuertorico.org/history.shtml
6 http://www.solboricua.com/sanjuan.htm
7 http://www.historiography101.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_historiography101_archive.html
8 http://www.historiography101.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_historiography101_archive.html
9 http://www.historiography101.blogspot.com/2003_08_31_historiography101_archive.html
10 http://www.planetware.com/pictures-/st-augustine-us-fl-aug.htm
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