The Treaty of Casco (1678) was a treaty that brought to a close the war between the

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Dawnland nations and the English settlers. There are no surviving copies of the treaty or its proceedings, so historians use a summary by

Jeremy Belknap Jeremy Belknap (June 4, 1744 – June 20, 1798) was an American clergyman and historian. His great achievement was the ''History of New Hampshire'', published in three volumes between 1784 and 1792. This work is the first modern history written ...

in his 1784 ''History of New Hampshire''. Most of Maine's English settlers were scattered among in settlements strung out along the coast or lower rivers. The Wabanaki north and east of the Kennebec River formed alliances with the French through the fur trade. By 1670, the Indigenous communities became increasingly frustrated with the settlers as a result of trade disputes, land encroachment, rum trading and free-roaming English livestock in their cornfields, which laid the foundation for future conflicts. On 12 April 1678 the provincial government of New York, which controlled Maine between 1677 and 1686, signed the first Treaty of Casco with the Penobscots representatives, headed by Chief Madockawando. Under the terms of the treaty, English settlers paid rent to the Penobscots and were given back confiscated farm land, while the English agreed to respect the Penobscot land rights."Settlement and Strife", Maine Historical Society
/ref> The treaty sought to re-establish the friendly relations between the Indigenous and settler communities that had characterized the northern settlements previous to the outbreak of

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 ...

in 1675. Based on the terms of the accord, all captives were to be surrendered without ransom. The treaty also recognized English property rights, but stipulated that the English should give the Indians one

peck A peck is an imperial and United States customary unit of dry volume, equivalent to 2 dry gallons or 8 dry quarts or 16 dry pints. An imperial peck is equivalent to 9.09 liters and a US customary peck is equivalent to 8.81 liters. Two pecks ma ...

of corn annually for each family settled on Indian lands, with the exception of Maj. Phillips of Saco, a great proprietor, who was required to give a

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an imperial and US customary unit of volume based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel is equal to 2 kennings (obsolete), 4 pecks, or 8 dry gallons, and was used mostly for agric ...

for each Native American family. This land use tax symbolized continuing Abenaki sovereignty over Maine. The treaty also provided for closer government regulation of the fur trade. The Treaty included establishing Fort Charles at Pemaquid. The English settlers refused to abide by the terms of the Treaty of Casco. Traders continued their old practices (including the sale of rum), while settlers placed fishing nets across the Saco River, preventing fish from migrating upriver to the Wabanaki villages, and livestock continued to trample through Indigenous cornfields. Negotiations and further treaty attempts, including the 1703 Treaty of Casco were ultimately unsuccessful and confrontations continued. The second Treaty of Casco (1703) was an unsuccessful attempt made by Governor

Joseph Dudley Joseph Dudley (September 23, 1647 – April 2, 1720) was a colonial administrator, a native of Roxbury in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the son of one of its founders. He had a leading role in the administration of the Dominion of New England ...

of Massachusetts Bay Colony to prevent further Indian hostilities from breaking out along the northern frontier. War was already going on in Europe between England and France (see

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) was the second in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. In E ...

) and the eastern Dawnland nations were historically allies of New France, and had a close relationship with the French

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. Governor Dudley appointed a meeting of the several chiefs and their tribes to confer with him and his councilors to reconcile whatever differences had arisen since the last treaty. They met in New Casco, Maine (present day Falmouth, Maine), 20 June 1703. The Wabanakik made the customary professions of peace, disavowing any conspiracy with the French to exterminate the English. They then presented the governor with a belt of

wampum Wampum is a traditional shell bead of the Eastern Woodlands tribes of Native Americans. It includes white shell beads hand-fashioned from the North Atlantic channeled whelk shell and white and purple beads made from the quahog or Western Nor ...

and ended the ceremony with an exchange of volleys. The Treaty caused concern for the French, as it left them vulnerable in

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17t ...

. Accordingly, Jacques-François de Monbeton de Brouillan, Governor of Acadia, urged the Governor of New France, Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil, to send a force to instigate hostilities between the Native Nations and New England. Vaudreuil was equally concerned about losing control of the Kennebec-Chaudiere river system, which led to Quebec City. He raised a force of Canadians and

Haudenosaunee The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

(Iroquois). In August 1703, this force, accompanied by a band of Abenakis, raided the New England frontier from Casco to Wells, killing or taking prisoner some 160 people. Further attacks were made during the autumn. The raids came as a complete surprise to New England. Governor Dudley responded by declaring war on the Abenakis, and offering £40 in scalp money.W.E. Daugherty, Treaties and Historical Research Centres, Research Branch, Corporate Policy, Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, January 1983, https://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/DAM/DAM-INTER-HQ/STAGING/texte-text/tremar_1100100028967_eng.pdf

References

{{reflist * Dictionary of American History by

James Truslow Adams James Truslow Adams (October 18, 1878 – May 18, 1949) was an American writer and historian. He was a freelance author who helped to popularize the latest scholarship about American history and his three-volume history of New England is well r ...

, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940 *

. ''Dictionary of American History''. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940.
''The Story of Pemaquid'' – Treaty at Casco 1678
Native American history of Massachusetts Casco Treaties of indigenous peoples of North America 1678 treaties 1678 in the Thirteen Colonies King Philip's War

See also

References