On June 2, 1608, Captain John Smith and fourteen English colonists set out from Jamestown in a 30-foot open boat or “shallop” to explore and map the Chesapeake Bay. Traveling over 1,700 miles in just over three months, Smith and his men witnessed the Chesapeake at its productive peak, with its incredible ecosystem intact and a multitude of American Indian cultures thriving along its shores. The observations and sketches made by Smith during his travels would form the basis for his remarkable 1612 map of the Bay, which served as the definitive rendering of the region for nearly a century.

Click on the links below to learn more about Smith’s voyages.