Conanicut Island is the second-largest island in

Narragansett Bay Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound covering , of which is in Rhode Island. The bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor and includes a small archipelago. Sm ...

in the American state of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. It is connected on the east to Newport on

Aquidneck Island Aquidneck Island, also known as Rhode Island, is an island in Narragansett Bay in the state of Rhode Island. The total land area is , which makes it the largest island in the bay. The 2020 United States Census reported its population as 60,109. ...

via the Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, and on the west to North Kingstown on the mainland via the

Jamestown-Verrazano Bridge The Jamestown Verrazzano Bridge spans the West Passage of Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, United States. It is part of Rhode Island Route 138 and is on the route to Newport, Rhode Island for traffic heading northbound from Interstate 95. ...

. The town of Jamestown comprises the entire island. The U.S. Census Bureau reported a land area of and a population of 5,622 in 2000.

History

Conanicut Island was a seasonal home to many American Indians. The largest Indian cemetery in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

is located on the island, and artifacts have been recovered from a site near the elementary school. The island is named for Chief

Canonicus Canonicus (c. 1565 – June 4, 1647) was a chief of the Narragansett Indigenous Peoples. He was wary of the colonial settlers, but he ultimately befriended Roger Williams and other settlers. Biography Canonicus was born around 1565,Benjami ...

of the Narragansett tribe who maintained his royal residence on the island.Rhode Island Geography
/ref> In 1636 or 1637,

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

fur traders The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most ...

paid to use the island of Quentenis as a base for their activities. This island is located just west of Conanicut; it is now known as Dutch Island and is part of Jamestown. In 1638, the

English colonists The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

made arrangements to use Conanicut Island for grazing sheep, and Canonicus was one of the Narragansett

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

s who gave consent. They referred to the island in his honor, and the Jamestown seal today includes the figure of a sheep. Conanicut Island was a part of the island territory included in a commission which the Council of State of England granted to

William Coddington William Coddington (c. 1601 – 1 November 1678) was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. He served as the judge of Portsmouth and Newport, governor of Portsmouth ...

in 1651.Bicknell, Thomas Williams. ''The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations''. New York: The American Historical Society, Inc. (1920). Vol. 3, p. 1184. In 1657, a consortium of about 100 buyers purchased Conanicut, Dutch, and

Gould Gould may refer to: People * Gould (name), a surname Places United States * Gould, Arkansas, a city * Gould, Colorado, an unincorporated community * Gould, Ohio, an unincorporated community * Gould, Oklahoma, a town * Gould, West Virginia, ...

Islands. They divided Conanicut into roughly a dozen large plots and reserved Dutch Island and parts of Conanicut for common use.

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

was one of the purchasers, and he became governor of the

colony of Rhode Island The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. It was founded by Roger Williams. It was an English colony from 1636 until 1 ...

the same year. (Arnold was the great-grandfather of the Revolutionary War

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

.) The Indians and colonists lived side-by-side in relative peace for almost four decades. Conflicts eventually occurred in a number of places in southern New England, leading to what is known as

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

. Life in the region was dominated by the colonists after 1676, although Conanicut Island remained a haven for many Indians. In 1725, a ferry was established between the island and Newport. Another ferry was established to South Kingstown in 1748.

Notable residents

* Captain Daniel Fones * Lauren Buckley

References

{{Authority control Islands of Narragansett Bay Islands of Newport County, Rhode Island Islands of Rhode Island Jamestown, Rhode Island