-
Jan 1, 1500
Native American Populaiotn
The Natie American population is at about 24,000. -
Jan 1, 1524
Europeans Reach the bay
Italian Giovanni da Verrazano is the first European to arrive in the Chesapeake Bay. -
The First Settlement
The first english settlers arrive in Jamestown, Virginia. There they set up settlement. -
The First Map
Captain John Smith sets off in two voyages around the bay to draw a very detailed map. -
Colonists Start Clear Cutting
The colonists of Jamestown and other settlements start clear cutting wooded areas, causing runoff. -
Virginia Watermen Start to Harvest Oysters
Virginia lawmakers pass a new law to prevent wasteful fishing practices in many rivers and Colonists begin to harvest oysters. -
Farms and Fishing Communities are Built on Virginia's Eatern Shore
Farms from the eastern shore produce more run off in the bay's waters. -
Colonists cut 30% of Forested Areas
More sediment erioson resulting in dirty water and pollution. -
Victory at Yorktown
Gerneral George Washington and the Continental Army defeat Lord Cornwallis and the Brtish Army at Yorktown, Virginia. -
Oyster Harvesting increses Dramtically
New England watermen come to the Cheasepke Bay with a new device that scoops out oyster beds. -
Faster Transportaiotn
Trains, steamboats and canals are built in the watershed making transportaion easier -
Half of the Forests are gone
Half of the watersheds forestes have been cut down for resources and creating more erosion. -
Sewer Systems are Placed in the Bay
Sewer systems carry humans waste and dump the waste in the bay. -
The Battle of Hampton Roads
The first confederate and federal ironclads the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor battle in Hampton Roads, Virginia where it came to a draw with both ships heavily damaged, with the CSS Virginia retuning to port and the USS Monitor heading back out of the bay. -
The USS Monitor is Lost
The USS Monitor sinks of the coast of Cape Hatteras and is lost for over 100 years. -
Millions of Oytsers
20 million buschels of oysters are pulled out of the bay. -
80% of the Forests are gone
80% of the forests are clear cut and making more runoff. -
Oysters drop dramaticaly
A dramatic drop in oyster populations starts to affect Chesapeake Bay health, Scientists begin question the impact of human behavior on the Bay. -
The Conowingo Dam
The Conowingo Dam is started to be built in the Susquehanna River -
The Conowingo Dam is Finished
The Dam is a hydroelectric dam that makes power. -
MSX
Msx is a diseases that kill oysters that ruined the population. -
The Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act is law designed to control air pollution on a national level. It requires the EPA to develop and enforce regulations to protect the public from airborne contaminants known to be hazardous to human health. -
The Discovery of the USS Monitor
The USS Monitor that had sunk over 100 years ago was found of the coast of Cape Hatteres. -
The Recovery of the USS Monitor
The turent of the ship is raised along with the engine and th propeller. -
Blue Crab fishery Collapse
Maryland and Virginia issue emergency regulations on the harvest of blue crabs to help the species recover. The bay’s blue crab fishery is declared a federal disaster.
