Land

On August 18, 1741, Peter Winne was officially granted ownership of a series of small islands in the Mohawk River near Little Falls, a historically strategic location in upstate New York. This land grant marked a continuation of the Winne family’s pattern of settling and investing in riverfront property to support trade, agriculture, and early development in colonial America.

The grant awarded Peter Winne “all the small islands in the river, from the upper end of the Great Falls (now called Little Falls) to the place where Canada Kill falls into said river.” These islands were situated between two major tributaries of the Mohawk River and were valued not only for their fertile land but also for their proximity to trade routes that preceded railroads and highways. This grant came six years after nearby islands on the opposite side of the river were awarded to German settlers through the Petrie and Palatine patents of 1725, reflecting growing colonial interest in the region’s economic potential.

Winne’s acquisition of these islands wasn’t incidental—it was part of a larger legacy. The Winne family had deep roots in New York, with ancestors originally from Flanders (Belgium) who settled in the mid and upper Hudson River Valley during the Dutch colonial era. Prior generations of the Winne family had already established landholdings on islands south of Fort Orange (now Albany), building a reputation as early entrepreneurs who relied on river transport to fuel commerce, agriculture, and milling.

Like the family’s better-known ventures along the Hudson River—including Barent Winne’s bustling dock near Cedar Hill—Peter Winne’s Mohawk River holdings underscore how the Winnes continually recognized the value of riverfront land for both transportation and trade. During the colonial period, rivers were the economic lifelines of the region, and securing ownership of key locations along them offered both strategic advantage and economic promise.

This grant further confirms the Winne family’s long-standing role in shaping the infrastructure of early New York. It also reflects broader trends in colonial land distribution, where rivers weren’t just barriers—they were arteries of prosperity, and the Winne family knew how to harness their potential.

Today, while the islands themselves may not be commonly known, their story remains a significant piece of New York’s early colonial puzzle—and Peter Winne’s 1741 grant stands as a lasting symbol of foresight, ambition, and the riverbound spirit that defined a generation of settlers.