Ever wondered about the deeper history of Manhattan? While it is difficult to think of it as anything else than highrise buildings, Times Square, Broadway, the Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street it wasn't always that way (and where does the name "Wall Street" come from anyway?).

Here is the history of the heart of what is now the financial world up to when it became "New York." Today there are tours in NYC that delve into the history of Dutch New York (New Amsterdam). There are also a number of surviving buildings in and around NYC that date from the Dutch colonial period.

The Geologic History of Manhattan Island

250 million years ago this region of North America was a part of the supercontinent of Pangea and would have been next to what is now Morrocco. Coming much closer in time, 2 million years ago was the beginning of the ice age when ice sheets covered much of North America in glaciers.

The peak of the ice age occurred about 19,000 years ago with the massive Laurentide Ice Sheet of North America at its greatest extent. In this time, it would have been some 2,000 feet thick at its maximum - that's thicker than the World Trade Center One is high.

  • Ice Sheet Thickness: 2,000 Feet
  • World Trade Center One Height: 2,000 Feet

As the world warmed, the ice melted and the ice retreated. What was left in its wake would have been marshlands, streams, and forests teeming with wildlife and fish.

Related: This Prehistoric Lake Was Once Larger Than All The Great Lakes

Arrival Of Humans To The Region

The first humans to arrive in the area would have been around 9,000 years ago but it was later abandoned. Later the Algonquians were one of the first known tribes to settle in the Hudson Valley. They were a group of nomadic tribes inhabiting much of North America.

  • First Humans: Around 9,000 Years Ago (Abonanded Later on)
  • One of The First Known Tribes: The Algonquians Who Became The Lenni Lenape

They eventually established agriculture in the region and planted crops. This transformed their nomadic culture into more established tribes and communities. Their diet was typical for many of the native Americans including mostly corn, squash, and beans - although they were also skilled hunters and loved deer, moose, and small game. They cultivated using slash and burn tactics.

  • Farmers: The Lenape Cultivated Corn, Squash, and Beans

A group of Algonquians that settled in the Northeastern Woodlands eventually came to be known as the Lenni Lenape. They became extremely gifted in farming, weavers, and hunting.

Around 3,000 years ago a second wave of inhabitants came to the region - around 8,000 encampments with many of their artifacts have been found including advanced hunting implements such as bows and arrows. It is likely the region has remained permanently inhabited since then.

  • Native Population: There Were Perhaps 15,000 Lenape The NYC Area
  • Settlements: Around 80 Settlement Sites

At the time of European settlement, it is estimated there was around 15,000 Lenape total in approximately 80 settlement sites around much of the New York City area, alone. The first European explorer was Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524.

Related: Cherokee Nation: What You'll Learn At Oconaluftee Village

The Dutch Age - New Amsterdam

The Dutch started settling in the 1620s and founded what they called New Amsterdam – a modern European village. They purchased the Island of Mannahatta in 1626 for 60 guilders worth of trade.

  • Dutch: Began Settling In The 1620s
  • Purchase: The Dutch Purchased Manhattan Island
  • New Amsterdam: The Name For The Dutch Settlement Here In The Greater New Netherlands Colony

Soon the Dutch were in conflict with the native population with the Massacre of Hoboken Natives taking place in 1643 where 120 natives were killed. The next year in 1644 they struct a peace treaty with the Native Americans to reduce violence and open up trade.

The Dutch built a fort around 1650 and called it Fort Amsterdam. Around this time they also built a wooden palisade or wall to defend their settlement. The wall was built to defend against the encroaching English, this wall ran on the northern boundary of New Amsterdam. They called it "de Waalstraat" - or Wall Street.

The wall was built of dirt and 15-foot (4.6 m) wooden planks, measuring 2,340 feet (710 m) long and 9 feet (2.7 m) tall.

  • Wall Street: Named For A Wooden Palisade Built In 1653
  • Size: The Wall Was 2,340 Feet Long and 9 Feet Tall

Even before the American Civil War, Wall Street was seen as the financial capital of the nation. Wall Street was a slave-trading marketplace and a securities trading site in the 17th century.

The Dutch era came to an end when Director-General Peter Stuyvesant and the Dutch soldiers left New Amsterdam after ceding it to the English. The English renamed it, New York, after their king.

  • 1664: The British Conquered New Amsterdam

Next: New Paltz Is Home To The Oldest Inhabited Street In The U.S.