After the Dutch had established their colony of New Amsterdam, they endeavored to colonize it on the Patroon system.
By this system, any man who undertook to bring fifty settlers to the colony within five years was given the title of Patroon, and was allowed to lay claim to and hold all the land he desired and could properly cultivate.
It was in this way that the Van Rensselaers, the Schuylers, and the Van Cortlandts became important families in New York.
In 1647 Peter Stuyvesant came out to New Amsterdam as governor. He was the last governor of the province.
He was familiarly known as "Old Silverleg," because, having lost one limb in battle, he had it replaced by a sturdy wooden leg securely bound with silver.
Many of our traditions date back to the time of this hot-tempered, headstrong, and fine old gentleman.
His estate was called the Great Bouery, and there was a long and beautiful lane leading from the city to it, which was known as Bouery Lane—our present Bowery.
The Governor's house is supposed to have stood near Tenth Street, a little east of Third Avenue, now called Stuyvesant Place.
Beyond Governor Stuyvesant's Great Bouery stretched swamps, woods, and clearings, until a little village was reached at the junction of the Haarlem and East rivers, which was called New Haarlem.
Peter Stuyvesant made many improvements in the city of New Amsterdam. In order better to protect it, he built a high and strong wooden palisade on the north of the town; in time houses grew up along this wall, and the street which they formed was called Wall Street.