JUNE 17:

June 17, 1579: Sir Francis Drake will land, today, north of San Francisco, probably, at what is called today, Drake's Bay, in California. He will report the Indians to be "people of a tractable, free and loving nature, without guile or treachery."

June 17, 1654: Today in a meeting between the Swedes and the Delawares in Tinicum (New Sweden, Pennsylvania). Delaware Chief Naaman praises the Swedes for their righteous treatment of the native inhabitants.
 

BACKGROUND:
 

From http://www.delcohistory.org/ashmead/ashmead_pg278.htm
 
 

The Township Of Tinicum

17th of that year a council was held by him with the Indian sachems, at Printz Hall, on which occasion some of the Indians complained that the Swedes had brought much evil upon them, for many of the savages had died since the former came to this country. Naaman, one of the chiefs, made a speech, in which he declared the Swedes were a very good people. "Look," said he, pointing to the presents, "see what they have brought us, for which they desire our friendship." So saying, he stroked himself three times down the arm, which among the Indians is a token of friendship. Afterwards he thanked the Swedes on behalf of his people for the presents they bad received, and said that friendship should be observed more strictly between them than it had been before; that the Swedes and Indians had been in Governor Printz's time as one body and one heart (striking his breast as he spoke) and thenceforward they should be as one head, in token of which he took hold of his head with both his hands, and made a motion as if he was tying a strong knot, and then he made this comparison, that as the calabash was round without any crack, so they would be a compact body without any fissure, and that if any one should attempt to do any harm to the Indians, the Swedes should immediately inform them of it; and, on the other hand, the Indians would give immediate notice to the Christians of any plot against them, even if it were in the middle of the night." Several savages, after they had been presented with brandy and wine, followed with similar remarks, and advised the Swedes to settle at Passyunk, where the Indians were numerous, and where, if any of the latter attempted to do the Swedes mischief, they could be punished. Finally, they desired to confirm the title to the land which the Swedes had already purchased from them. This being done, "there were set upon the floor in the great hall, two large kettles and many other vessels filled with sappaun, which is a kind of hasty pudding, made of maize and Indian corn. The sachems sat by themselves; the other Indians all fed heartily and were satisfied . . . . The treaty of friendship which was then made between the Swedes, and the Indians has ever since been faithfully observed on both sides".
 
 

*****
 

From http://www.geocities.com/darley_99/page13.html
 
 

33. Naaman's Creek/Bridge

The community of Claymont was first located around the Fall Line of Naaman's Creek; here were the stores and dwellings. On the hill where the City Steel Company (originally Worth Steel) office now stands was the mansion of Richard Clayton, who called his place "Claymont" (short for "Clayton's Mount"). This name was later given to the railroad station and, when it was located here, the post office. To serve this community, Naaman's Road was laid out from the public landing in 1789. In 1802 the old stone arch bridge over Naaman's Creek was built by Adam Wilkinson for the Levy Court. The original stone arches of this oldest permanent bridge may still be seen under the present bridge, which was built in 1919. George Churchman, a Quaker, and a founder of Claymont, was born in Darby, Pa. In 1832, for the sum of $10.00, he bought a sawmill and grist mill on Naaman's Creek that dated back to 1701. It eventually became the largest sawmill in Delaware. The logs were brought from Lock Haven in upstate Pennsylvania and floated down the Susquehanna River to Port Deposit as "arks," then down the Chesapeake Bay and up the Elk River to Back Creek. There the logs were hauled by mules through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the Delaware River, then floated up the Delaware to Naaman's Creek with the tide. In 1654, Johan Cloudi Rising came to the area as Director General of New Sweden. One of his first acts was to hold a treaty of friendship with the Indians. He called a council at Printz Hall on Tinicum at which ten sachems or kings attended, representing different clans or tribes in the vicinity. A distinguished chief called Naaman was the principal speaker on that occasion. The natives, though it had only been sixteen years since the arrival of the Europeans, had found the proximity of the white race destructive to their people. They complained that the Swedes had brought much evil, for many of the natives had died since their arrival into the country (probably from smallpox and other infectious diseases). Rising "soothed them with gifts," which he liberally distributed among them, the result of which was the natives' determination to maintain friendly relations with the Governor and his people. Naaman exclaimed, "Look and see what presents they have brought to us, for which they desire our friendship."