The history of the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, By a committee of the Dorchester antiquarian and historical society ...

HISTORY OF DORCHESTER. 5
fleet anchored in Charles river. Gov. Dudley writes,
we found a place three leagues up Charles river, and
thereupon unshipped our goods and brought them
to Charlestown. It is probable that Capt. Squeb,
who brought the Dorchester company, was chartered
for Charles river, and considered himself at the mouth
of the river when he anchored in Nantasket roads,
and there is no evidence that any large ship had
ever penetrated further into the harbor, previous to
the arrival of the Mary and John, in May, 1630.O
In 1621, seven years after Smith's visit to Massachusetts, took place the excursion of the Pilgrims
to the bay, as related by Winslow. Any one familiar with the localities, who reads the relation,
will perceive that the Pilgrims (ten in number,
with Squantum, or Tisquantum, and two other
Indians), on their first visit to Massachusetts, anchored at night under Nantasket head, where they
met a few wandering Indians, doubtless sojourning
temporarily at this place, for the purpose of obtaining lobsters and other shell fish, abounding in that
locality. With these Indians they held some intercourse, and then run over to the Dorchester shore
at Squantum, so called by them from the name of
one of their Indian guides. On the following morning, the party landed, and marched three miles into
the country, which brought them near the head of
tide waters, on the south side of the Neponset. Here
-Hubbard's assertion, repeated by Prince, that the Mary and John
missed of Salem by accident, must be gratuitous; as Clap, a passenger
on board, says nothing about it, but expressly asserts that they were
bound to Charles river,
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