"a lande, even as God made it"

"a lande, even as God made it". Settling. , Over the span of many generations, Native Americans relied upon the plants and animals of the Chesapeake Bay region to provide food, medicines, clothing, and building materials. Their hunting and fishing skills were matched by a thorough knowledge of local soils, fruits, vegetables, and other plants., In the early 17th century, when English settlers came to Maryland and its neighboring colony of Virginia, the supplies of fish, fowl, and furs were abundant. Oysters grew too large to eat in one mouthful, and striped bass reached six feet in length. Accustomed to scarcity in their mother country, the English were awestruck by this abundance., The Yaocomaco people lived in what is now Southern Maryland. The Yaocomaco knew how to choose good agricultural land. This site has the best soil on the east bank of the St. Mary's River. After purchasing the right to occupy an existing Yaocomaco village, Lord Baltimore's colonists could boast of first-year crops that "prospered exceedingly well.",

"…the Turkey, whom I have seen in whole hundreds in flightsi n the Woods of Mary-land…" , George Alsop, 1666, "They [deer] are also might numerous in the Woods, and are little or not at all affrighted at the face of a man…" , George Alsop, 1666, "And to say trueth, there wanteth nothing for the perfecting of this hopefull plantation; but greater numbers of our countrey-men to enjoy it." , A Relation of the Successful beginnings of the Lord Baltemore's Plantation In Maryland, 1634

, [Captions:] , The tulip poplar was preferred for canoe making due to its straight trunk and light weight. The interior was burned and then scraped out., Wild turkey offered meat as well as feathers used on arrows. Other wild game birds included passenger pigeons, quail ducks, and geese., White tailed deer was the most important game animal for Yaocomaco Indian hunters. Besides meat, it supplied hides for clothing and bone for tools., A variety of methods were used to catch fish depending on the season and species. Shellfish, especially oysters, were also harvested in great quantities., In 1666, George Alsop published a map of Maryland as part of his account of life as an indentured servant, A Character of the Province of Mary-land. Also served as an indentured servant between the years 1659 and 1663., Engraving by Theodor de Bry (1590) after the watercolors of John White.