The first settlers of Jamestown landed along the banks of the James River in what would become the colony of Virginia on this day in 1607. Soon after they made landing, the Britons found themselves under attack from local Algonquian Native Americans known as the Powhatan. They managed to fight them off, but not long after, settler John Smith and two others were captured. Smith was the only one spared, thanks to the actions of Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Wahunsenacawh.
Most of Jamestown’s population would die over the next two years. More supplies kept the colony going, but starvation, disease, and further attacks made the effort a constant struggle for survival. Eventually, the new governor of Virginia joined them, with provisions in town and creating a sense of stability. Tobacco was planted, and money started rolling in. Pocahontas married a settler, establishing some semblance of peace with the Native Americans nearby.
This didn’t last. Wahunsenacawh died, and the new chief resumed hostilities, nearly destroying the colony. Somehow the colonists managed to capture the new chief and executed him, leading the Algonquians to surrender and give up much of their land. The Jamestown settlement began to boom.
Over the decades, settlers began to move beyond Jamestown. The population of the colony of Virginia grew and grew. The town remained the capital of the colony until the 1690s, when it was suggested that a new site be chosen to house the legislature that was far from the malaria-infested swamps Jamestown had been settled in. This new capital would become Williamsburg, Va., which served as the capital until 1780 when the government moved to Richmond.
