Nantucket. Massachusetts, USA

Tue, Feb 19th 2008, 00:00

Nantucket: Though there is speculation that the Vikings were there first, the first recorded European sighting of the island of Nantucket was by an English explorer in 1602.

This is the one of the places in the USA that first sees the rising sun, and it was this part of the world that was first inhabited by settlers from England.

At the time, Nantucket was home to a branch of the Native American Wampanoag tribe. They dubbed their island “The Faraway Land”. As happens today, the population of the island would increase at certain times of the year when seasonal migrants would arrive to fish and harvest whales that washed up onto the shores.

During its hey day, Nantucket became a centre for whaling. In the early years, residents would extract oil from whales that drifted onto their shores. But later, expeditions were led into the wide open seas to catch larger numbers of whales that passed by on their seasonal migration each year. Voyages became longer when the whalers started targeting sperm whales who live in deeper waters.

From the early 1700s, Nantucket was the whaling capital of the world. Prosperity on the island grew and it was during this time that the beautiful architecture was established. The discovery of petroleum fields in the 1830s meant a reverse of fortune for Nantucket. No longer was whale oil in such demand as there was now a much cheaper source. Soon the famous harbour silted up and locals were headed off the island to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

These days, Nantucket is a quaint holiday destination that has retained much of its olde worlde charm. During the summer, the population of Nantucket soars from approximately 10,000 to 50,000 with tourists and summer residents coming to enjoy the scenery and laid back lifestyle.

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