A Bit of Cape Cod History

Cape Cod has a long and fascinating history that's worth reading about before future trips.

Cape Cod has a long and fascinating history that's worth reading about before future trips.

The sandy peninsula of Cape Cod was created during the Ice Age. Because of its exposed location jutting out into the Atlantic, many early explorers visited Cape Cod. The Wampanoag people lived here for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived. The Pilgrims first landed in America on the lower tip of Cape Cod, making this a hot spot for early American history. The Pilgrims decided that this peninsula was too sandy to support their lifestyle, and they sailed across Cape Cod Bay to establish Plymouth.

Cape Cod's human history has always been linked to the sea. For early Native American fishermen and the beach-going tourists of today, Cape Code has become synonymous with an ocean-loving lifestyle.

In 1848, the first train service from Boston began. In the 1930s three bridges went up, and tourism on Cape Cod soared.

Today, the natural landscape of Cape Cod is not enormously different from its past. Swaths of forest, dune, beach, and marsh separate small villages. Unspoiled natural beauty makes Cape Cod a dreamy destination for visitors from the mainland and worldwide.