Early Jamestown Climate

Ryan Gaubert and Virgilio Santana

Climate Of Jamestown

• The climate of Jamestown was far from what English settlers were used to
• The summers were filled with tropical humidity breeding mosquitoes and flies
• The winters were bitter cold
• 1607-1608 the settlers were faced with a cruel winter historians call “The Little Ice Age”
• The settlers faced harsh winters but also the worst drought that had occurred in 800 years which lasted from 1606-1612
• This caused low quality drinking water and difficult growing seasons

Settlers

• What  little crops that the settlers were able to grow died
• Many settlers died due to starvation
•  Because of the conditions they had to face from 1609-1610 that was called “The Starving Time”
• Forced to raid and steal from the Natives
• The settlers struggled until food supplies were replenished by  English ships

Natives

• Had to deal with the new settlers
• They were confronted by the same weather patterns
• They grew more than tobacco and were more capable of suffering harsh weather
• Natives dealt with constant settlers stealing their food and supplies

 Bibliography

Settlement: Harsh Challenges Confront Colonists. “A “Waste” and DifficultGround.”NASA.            http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/everydaylife/jamestown-settlement-fs.html (accessed  
           February 9, 2011).