Fort Christina

Listen first. Somewhere close by, the Christina River moves slowly past the shore. Under the grass and paving there is old rock, dark and hard. Ships could tie up beside it centuries ago. It is a quiet spot, a little hidden by the working city around it. Yet this small green space is where one of the less familiar chapters of American history began. Many visitors arrive expecting something grand. What they find instead is a stone column, a modest park, and a river. And that is exactly the point.

In the spring of 1638, two ships sailed up this river from the Delaware Bay. They were the Kalmar Nyckel and the Fogel Grip, and they carried settlers sent by the Crown of Sweden. Their goal was to start a colony and to trade, above all for beaver furs. The settlers called their new territory New Sweden. They built a fort here, and they named it for their young queen, Christina. She was still a child at the time. Swedish government was being run on her behalf.

Here is the first surprise. The man who led this Swedish expedition was not Swedish. He was Peter Minuit, a man born in the German lands. He had earlier served as director of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. Popular history credits him with the famous purchase of Manhattan. After the Dutch dismissed him, he offered his experience to Sweden. He knew this coast, he knew the fur trade, and he knew the Dutch would not be pleased.

Why did the ships stop at this exact place? The answer is under your feet. Settlers and later historians called this spot the Rocks. It was a natural ledge of stone along the riverbank. It worked like a ready-made wharf, so the ships could come right up to solid ground. In a landscape of marsh and soft riverbank, that was valuable. The fort was built close beside it.

The land was not empty. This was the home of the Lenape people, sometimes called the Delaware. Minuit made an agreement with Lenape leaders for land along the river. As in many early colonial deals, the two sides probably understood it very differently. Europeans often saw a permanent sale. Native nations often saw shared use and an alliance. The fur trade also linked the Swedes to the Susquehannock people further inland, who brought pelts down to the river.

And here is the second surprise, one that most visitors miss. The settlers were not only Swedes. Many came from Finland, which at that time was part of the Swedish kingdom. These Swedes and Finns brought a building tradition from the northern forests. They stacked whole logs and notched them at the corners. Many historians credit them with bringing the log cabin to North America. A building that later became a symbol of the American frontier may have started with settlers like these.

Look around the park for the small log cabin. It is not original to the 1638 settlement. It was moved here to show the style of building these colonists used. Notice how the logs meet at the corners, and how the walls rely on weight and careful cutting. Imagine families spending their first winters in shelters like this, far from home. Imagine the cold off the river, the smell of wood smoke, and the short grey days.

New Sweden did not last long as a colony. It grew slowly, and it never received many settlers from Europe. Its neighbours, the Dutch, saw it as a rival on a river they claimed. In 1655, a Dutch force under Peter Stuyvesant arrived. The Swedish colony surrendered without a major battle. The fort received a new Dutch name. Later, the whole region passed to English control. Even so, the Swedish and Finnish families stayed. They kept their churches, their farms, and their language for generations.

Now turn to the monument that stands at the centre of the park. Its tall column is crowned with a sculpture of a ship under sail. The ship represents the Kalmar Nyckel. The monument was a gift from the people of Sweden. It was created by the Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. It was dedicated in 1938, for the three hundredth anniversary of the landing. Swedish royal guests and American leaders took part in the celebrations.

Take a closer look at the dark stone of the monument and the carved panels around its base. The panels show scenes from colonial life. You may see settlers, ships, and the meeting of different peoples. The style is simple and strong, typical of Milles. On a clear day, the sculpted ship stands sharply against the sky. On a grey day, the dark stone seems to absorb the light. Both moods suit a place about arrival and uncertainty.

Today this site is part of First State National Historical Park. That park links several places across Delaware that tell the story of the state's early history. Within walking distance you will find Old Swedes Church, also called Holy Trinity. It was built by the descendants of these settlers in the late seventeenth century. It is one of the oldest church buildings in the United States still standing in its original form. The two sites tell one connected story.

On the river, you may also find a full-size modern reproduction of the Kalmar Nyckel. Local volunteers built it and sail it today. When it is in port, it is worth a look. The ship is surprisingly small. Picture dozens of people, animals, and supplies packed inside for a voyage across the Atlantic that lasted months. Peter Minuit himself never returned home. He was lost at sea in a storm in the Caribbean, soon after leaving this colony.

As you stand here, notice what is around you. There are industrial buildings, railway lines, and the slow brown river. Modern Wilmington grew up around this spot and almost covered it. Nothing of the original wooden fort survives. What remains is the ground, the stone, and the river. The ships came to this same water nearly four centuries ago.

Before you leave, walk to the edge of the park and face the water. Listen again to the river, the traffic, and perhaps a passing train. Think of the first view the settlers had, with forest on both banks and smoke from Lenape fires. Then look back at the small sculpted ship on top of its column. It points toward the river and toward the long voyage that brought all of this into being.