Groton, Connecticut
The summer of 1614 was the first time that the Pequots met white settlers. They started trading furs for the settlers' goods. Those included steel knives, needles and boots. In 1633, the Dutch bought land from them (the Pequots). The earlier then opened a fur trading post. Meanwhile (at the same time), the English bought land for settlement from the local tribes. The Dutch had unintentionally killed the Pequots' chief. This led to revenge by the Pequot tribe, and this escalated into the Pequot War (1636–38). On the night of May 26, 1637, the Colonial forces arrived outside the Pequot village near the Mystic River. The palisade surrounding the village had only two exits. Their leader, Colonel John Mason, gave the order to set the village on fire and block off the exits. Those who tried climbing over the palisade were shot. Those who succeeded in getting over were killed by the Narragansett forces.