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About Orleans
The town of Orleans, incorporated in 1797, is a resort
community on the outer Cape whose European history begins in 1642 with
the first permanent settlement established by Nicholas Snow and his
family. Settlers had purchased rights to the town from Mattaguason,
sachem of the Manamoyick Indians.
The Colonial economy was built on agriculture, especially
corn, rye and wheat, plus the growing of hay and vegetables. In the 18th
century commercial fishing and shell fishing supplemented local incomes
and residents worked on herring boats and went after whales.
By the 19th century, coastal packets from Boston were
being serviced and several windmills created power resources in the
town, but the heaviest reliance by residents was on cod and mackerel
fishing. Life long residents recall that in those days the very old and
the very young farmed, while all the able-bodied men fished. Fishing
declined as competition from larger boats and larger ports grew, but the
town had established a commercial importance on the Cape as a market
center for other communities, that continues into the 20th century.
Small businesses like the Mayo Duck Farm that produced
50,000 ducklings in 1918 were welcomed by the town, but the major modern
change was spurred by the impact of the fast growing summer development.
This resort home development, which accelerated between 1915 and 1940
and still continues, has had the greatest effect on the town and in turn
has supported increasing commercial development along Route 6.
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