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Dutch Island in 2008 from Fort Getty
Dutch Island is an island lying west of Conanicut Island at an entrance to Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, USA. The island is a part of the town of Jamestown, Rhode Island, and has a land area of 0.4156 km² (102.7 acres). It was uninhabited as of the 2000 census.
Dutch Island's Indian name was Quotenis. In 1625 the Dutch West India Company established a trading post on the island to trade with the Narragansett Indians, trading Dutch goods, cloths, implements, and liquors for the Indians' furs, fish, and venison. Several years later the Dutch built Fort Ninigret nearby. In 1654 English colonists purchased the island from the Indians. In 1825 the federal government acquired six acres at the southern end of the island, and on January 1, 1827, Dutch Island Light was established to mark the west passage of Narragansett Bay and to aid vessels entering Dutch Island Harbor. The first 30-foot tower was built of stones found on the island. The government constructed a new 42 foot brick tower in 1857 with a fog bell added in 1878. During the American Civil War, the island was used by battalions of the 14th Regiment of the R.I. Heavy Artillery. The federal government took over the entire island in 1863 and constructed earthen batteries. The tunnels and gun emplacements of Fort Greble were built after the Spanish-American War and enlarged until 1902. As of 2007, the island is part of the Bay Islands Park system of Rhode Island owned by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM). The island is easily accessible by kayak today off the coast of Conanicut Island (Jamestown). Few remnants of the Dutch trading post exist today, but a lighthouse and military buildings remain on the island.
[edit] References
- Frederic Denlson, Narragansett Sea and Shore, (J.A. & R.A. Reid, Providence, RI., 1879)
- George L. Seavey, Rhode Island's Coastal Natural Areas.
