The aboriginal name of the town itself was Weckquaskeck ; afterwards varied to Wechquossqueeck and Wiequoeshook ; in pure Algonquin, Weec-quoes-guck, the place of the bark kettle. b

Opposite Tappaan, (says Be Yries, in 1640.) lies a place called Wichquaesqueeck.

Van Tienhoven describing tlie same spot" remarks : '• Wicliquaesqueek, on the North River, five (twenty) miles above New Amsterdam, is a right good and suitable land for cultivation, contains considerable maize land which the Indians planted, rising from, the shore. In the interior the country is flat and mostly even, very abundantly watered with small streams and runniuo"

* See Dutch carte, Secretary of State's office, Alb. k Schoolcraft's paper, Pro. N. Y. Hist. Soc. 1^44,

164 HISTORY OF THE

fountains. This land is situate between two rivulets called Sintsinck and Armonck, lying between the East and North rivers. ''Bedenkinge over het aenvaerden van de landeryen^inN. Nederlant."a

To a large current of water which descends through the village of Dobh's Ferry and falls into the Hudson at the upper landing, the Indians gave the name of Weghqueghe or Wysquaqua, by the English called afterwards Wickers creek or William Portugues creek.

At the mouth of this beautiful stream the powerful tribe of the Wichquaesqueecks, had erected a village which was standing in the time of Nicholas Johannes Visschers, (Nicholas John Visschers.) for in his map of Novum Belgium, published at Amsterdam, 1659,^ he calls it Wickquaskek, a name which was also applied to the surrounding lands as already shown. The site of this ancient village can still be traced on the neighboring banks by the numerous " Indian shell beds" which in some places are found to vary from two to three feet in depth. Another Mohegan village occupied the site of Tarrytown, called in the Algonquin, Alipkonck, " Anneebikong ? place of leaves or rich foliage.''^ "Above Weckquaskeck says Schoolcraft, was the village of Alipkonck, that is " a place of elms."<i