New Jersey’s story begins deep in prehistory. Around 18,000 years ago, the Ice Age brought glaciers that shaped the state’s terrain, carving rivers, meadows, swamps, and gorges, and forming features like Lake Passaic. The collision of the North American and African tectonic plates also gave rise to the Appalachian Mountains, laying the foundation for New Jersey’s diverse landscapes.

By the 6th millennium BC, Native American peoples, particularly the Lenape tribe, had settled the region. Known as Scheyichbi in the Lenape language, the area encompassed present-day New Jersey. The Lenape lived in matrilineal clans organized around Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf phratries, practicing maize agriculture alongside hunting and gathering near the Delaware River, lower Hudson River, and western Long Island Sound.

The early 17th century marked the first encounters between the Lenape and European colonists, primarily Dutch settlers. These interactions were largely centered on the fur trade, establishing patterns of cultural exchange and economic interaction that would influence New Jersey’s development during the colonial era and beyond.