Footprints of the Red Men

This study invites listeners to travel back through the Hudson, Mohawk, and Delaware valleys by following the footprints left in the very names given by the Indigenous peoples who first called these places home. It shows how each name functions as a practical description—a hill, a stream, a meadow—rather than a fanciful label, and how those simple words open a window onto the geography and life of the region long before modern towns appeared.

Drawing on original deeds, early maps, and the expertise of linguists, the author untangles the maze of spellings left by traders, missionaries, and settlers, revealing the original locations and meanings behind names that have been altered or lost. Listeners will come away with a clearer sense of how the landscape was perceived by the Lenape, Mohawk, and other tribes, and why those ancient appellations still echo in today’s place‑names, enriching our understanding of the area’s deep, layered history.