Indigenous Resistance and Resilience in 1670s Lowell Tour

In 1892 and 1893, America was busy celebrating the 400th anniversary of the landing of Columbus in the Americas, and Lowell was teeming with parades, sermons, and lectures delivered in his honor. Two hundred years before the great industrial city of Lowell sprung up, in the 1670s, the Penacook people were actively challenging the invasion of their homeland in the Merrimack Valley by land-hungry English settlers. This 90 minute walking tour explores how Indigenous people living in greater Lowell in the 1670s confronted and resisted colonialism through combat, and through their command of the Algonquian and English language. The walk will also discuss how nineteenth century Lowellians selectively remembered and celebrated their past, and what implications that has for our understanding of Lowell’s past.

This free walk begins at the Visitor Center (246 Market Street) at 1 p.m. on Monday, October 14th. Free parking is available at 304 Dutton Street. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes.