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Water and wind are ever removing land from one Cape location and depositing new land in another, however, the Cape sustains a net land loss of two acres every year. Conservation efforts, such as planting beach grass on bare dunes, have helped make these sandy mountains resistant to winter storms. But these grasses have but a fragile hold in the sand, and only by prohibiting foot and other traffic can these dunes—and the dry land they call home—survive.

Early History: The earliest inhabitants of this peninsula, physical evidence suggests, arrived about 10,000 years ago, settling in the warmer months mainly along the Cape’s major estuaries in today’s Barnstable, Pleasant Bay and Brewster. Settlers moved to inland ponds during the winter.

Originally, the Cape was populated by Native Americans and, during the 16th century, the people of the Wampanoag Federation lived—in peace—along the Cape’s coast. The Cape had five tribes, each with its own chief, or sachem. All of the tribes were ruled by a Great Sachem, who resided near where Rhode Island’s Providence stands today. Each tribe had representation in the Federation Council, which approved major decisions, such as waging war. The Cape’s Native American population was well-established and these people hunted, fished, farmed, and raised corn, squash, pumpkin, beans and tobacco. They had complex political, social and spiritual systems. But life was still harsh—weather, disease and food gathering were all hardships. The Wampanoag’s could not know that the major tribulation in their life was to be the arrival of the white man.

Four hundred years ago, Bartholomew Gosnold left Falmouth, England, to explore the New World. After journeying across the Atlantic, he and his crew sailed into an unknown bay. There, they encountered land that they first named Shoal Hope. Later that day, some successful fishing prompted a name change. As fellow voyager Gabriel Archer related: "Neere this Cape we came to Anchor in fifteene fadome, where wee tooke great store of Cod-fish, for which we altered the name and called it Cape Cod." The names bestowed by Gosnold on the land he found—Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands—are still in use today.

English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold coined Cape Cod’s enduring appellation on May 15, 1602 after he took ‘great stock’ of cod from the peninsula’s surrounding waters near the Elizabeth Islands and Woods Hole. The white man was not a newcomer here. Indigenous Native Americans gathered skins, pipes and other wares in anticipation of trading when they sighted Gosnold’s vessel (some even spoke some European words). In 1604, French explorer Samuel de Champlain made a stop at Barnstable, which he named Port aux Huistres (Oyster Harbor). In 1614, John Smith, seeking whales and christening all he could with English names. He drew the first map of Cape Cod, which he called Cape James after the king of England, and re-named Cape Cod Bay (Stuart Bay) and Provincetown (Milford Haven). Smith’s names did not have much staying power.

The relationships between the Native Americans on Cape Cod and the white man were not always cordial and quarrels and acrimony were not unusual. Several incidences of killings were recorded and, in one instance, one Captain Thomas Hunt kidnapped two dozen Native Americans which he took to Spain and sold as slaves. One of these from the Plymouth area, Squanto, made his way back to southeastern Massachusetts and later befriended the Pilgrims.

The Native Americans found this kidnapping a breach of trust and hard to forget. On November 9, 1620 at 7am, the Mayflower with 102 passengers sailed into Provincetown Harbor in Cape Cod Bay after a 65-day storm-tossed trans-Atlantic voyage. Although several days off course and, given the dangerous waters they knew lay ahead, the Pilgrims decided to settle on Cape Cod. Before doing so, the Mayflower Compact, which committed all male passengers to commit to cooperate in the new government to be formed. The group rejoiced the feel of land under their feet, the ability to wash clothes and have a hot meal, which they’d not had for nearly ten weeks. During the month that Mayflower lay at anchor off Provincetown, three parties, armed with muskets, searched for a suitable site for settlement. Such a site should offer a river, a good harbor and acreage with soil for crops. They discovered a fresh-water spring (Pilgrim Spring in Truro). The next day, at what is now Corn Hill Beach, they discovered a large metal cauldron and a mound which contained a dozen bushels of corn (this Cape corn was planted the following spring and the resulting crop saved many lives). With the winter weather worsening every day, the Pilgrims still had not found a suitable site to settle. The group decided to make yet one more sojourn to seek a settlement site. On December 6, 19 men set out in an open boat, following the coastline and spent the night at today’s Eastham.

The following morning, they awoke, under attack by Native Americans. The attackers ran off, evidently frightened by the firing of the band’s muskets. This was the Pilgrims’ ‘first encounter’ with the Native Americans. Continuing along the coast, the group made its way to the area now known as Plymouth. On December 15, 1620, Mayflower left Cape Cod and sailed for Plymouth, where its colony was established. As the colony grew, different groups decided to move to Cape Cod after being granted permission by the Plymouth government. First settled were Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth and Eastham where marshes provided acres of wild salt hay and fodder for farm animals. The new Cape Codders farmed and fished (including whaling) and planted seeds brought from England. The plowed acreage, planted corn and vegetables and cut lumber which they fashioned into square, neat little houses. The government in Plymouth taxed net fishing for mackerel, bass and herring on the Cape, using the taxes thus collected for the upkeep of schools, which were open for only a few winter months, at first.

Cape Cod society regulated the behavior of its members. Gossiping, swearing, ridiculing people—even laughing—were punishable by being placed in stocks, dismissal from church membership or worse. Independence, more than any other attribute, typified Cape Codders, who grew increasingly belligerent towards British rule. Liberty poles put up to show supports for independence were torn down by Tories. Violence between Cape Codders preceded the war of independence. In Truro, a Tory woman was tarred and feathered for drinking British-taxed tea. A Sandwich Tory left the room when the Declaration of Independence was read. The Battles of Lexington and Concord were real news to Cape Codders, whose shores were completely unprotected from attack (Incidentally, Patriot Paul Revere made church bells which still peal in Falmouth and West Barnstable churches.) Conscription was ordered throughout the Cape. The 64-gun British warship Somerset cruised Provincetown harbor regularly, with some of its officers attending local church services, to the surprise of locals. In November 1778, the Somerset struck the outer bar at North Truro and was battered onto the beach. The nearly 500 Somerset survivors were captured and were marched through Cape towns filled with jeering Cape Codders directly to Boston. In April 1779, Cape Codders bravely repulsed an attempted British landing at Falmouth.

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