On April 26, 1607, three ships carrying those destined to establish the first permanent English colony in America made landfall on these dunes overlooking the Chesapeake Bay. Over the next two weeks, the colonists would sail up what is now the James River to establish Jamestown, VA. The three ships, "Susan Constant," "Discovery," and "Godspeed," were under the command of Captain Christopher Newport. The journey itself across the Atlantic Ocean took several months.

It is my understanding that people at that time saw only in black and white, making this photo an excellent depiction of how the colonists viewed the dunes, sky, grass, and ocean. Of course the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, prominent on the horizon, was not constructed until more than three and a half centuries later.

In commemoration of this event, Virginia's Seashore State Park was renamed First Landing State Park.