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600-1609 A.D-
Lenni Lenape arrived in Delaware Valley, settled on land known as "Leapehoking" -
- Henry Husdon sailed to mouth of Delaware and called the body of water "South River", this was later recorded on maps.
- Swedes established first colony called Fort Christina at confluence of Brandywine and Christina Rivers, This was first permanent European Settlement in Delaware Valley
- Quaker William Penn sailed up Delaware River and founded Philadelphia.
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George Washington made his famous crossing of the Delaware River and defeated the Hessians at Trenton
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DuPont family settled in Wilmington and established gunpowder mills along Brandywine River, this is the origin of DuPont Inc. and the reason for the petro-chemical industry that has sprawled along the estuary.
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Cholera caused by contaminated drinking water killed over 900 people in Philadelphia, fisheries and and drinking water supplys were contaminated which lead to spread of Typhoid.
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Early 1900s saw water treatment plants constructed along Delaware River, these plants utilized chlorine to disinfect water which cut Cholera and Typhoid by 90%.
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Early 1900s saw water treatment plants constructed along Delaware River, these plants utilized chlorine to disinfect water which cut Cholera and Typhoid by 90%.
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US Census data showed that in the 21 sub-watersheds within the Delaware River Basin the population had doubled since 1920 and was at 7,800,000 in the year 2000, this number grew to 8,000,000 in 2010.