If All Had Gone According to Plan, We Might Have Had the Manhattan Pilgrims
In the seventeenth century – and indeed, throughout the Age of Sail – drinking water aboard ship was liable to go bad, especially on long voyages. Sea voyagers such as the Mayflower‘s Pilgrims relied on beer as a source of hydration that would not spoil. So to run out of the brewed stuff was a big deal. The Pilgrims’ initial destination had been a Virginia Colony island that teemed with wildlife and natural resources, fronted by a huge and navigable natural harbor, and bordered by a navigable river that led deep into the interior.
Back then, the Virginia Colony’s borders were not the same as those of today’s Virginia. In 1620, the northern boundary was about 225 miles farther north than Virginia’s current border, and the island where the voyagers had intended to settle is today called Manhattan. Instead, the lack of beer led the Pilgrims to explore the coastline of Cape Cod and the mainland nearby, until they finally decided upon a site. On Christmas Day, December 25th, 1620, the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Plantation as their new colonial settlement, and as the site where they would brew up a fresh batch of beer.
You May Interested: These People Came to America in the Mayflower.