Salt River Valley is in northern Arizona.
John Mason was born in Ravensthorpe , Northamptonshire , England in October 1600 .. Ravensthorpe. Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire. England. Plymouth, England. Little is known about his life there and where he was educated .. He enlisted in the military in 1624 and went to the Netherlands to serve in the sectarian Thirty Years ' War -LRB- 1618 -- 1648 -RRB- , where he gained significant tactical military experience , first seeing action in the Breda Campaign .. Netherlands. History of the Netherlands. Breda. Breda. By 1629 he was a lieutenant in the Brabant Campaign and participated in the Siege of s ' - Hertogenbosch , literally `` The Duke 's Forrest '' in English , and known historically in French as Bois-le-Duc .. English. English people. Brabant. Duchy of Brabant. He served with Lord Thomas Fairfax under General Sir Horace Vere in the army of Frederik Hendrik , The Prince of Orange .. Thomas Fairfax. Thomas Fairfax. Sir Horace Vere. Horace Vere, 1st Baron Vere of Tilbury. Frederik Hendrik. Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. In 1632 , he joined the great Puritan exodus and sailed from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony , settling in Dorchester where he was promptly appointed as the captain of the local militia .. England. Plymouth, England. Puritan. Puritan. the great Puritan exodus. Puritan migration to New England ( 1620–40 ). Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dorchester. Dorchester, Boston. militia. Militia#United States. In 1633 , he commanded the first American naval task force and pursued the pirate Dixie Bull , routing him from New England waters .. England. Plymouth, England. pirate. Piracy. Dixie Bull. Dixie Bull. New England. New England. He and Roger Ludlow planned and supervised the construction of the first fortifications on Castle Island -LRB- later known as Fort Independence -RRB- in Boston Harbor .. Roger Ludlow. Roger Ludlow. Castle Island. Castle Island ( Massachusetts ). Fort Independence. Fort Independence ( Massachusetts ). Boston Harbor. Boston Harbor. In 1634 , he was elected to represent Dorchester in the Massachusetts General Court , where permission was granted for him to remove to the fertile Connecticut River valley .. Connecticut. Connecticut. Dorchester. Dorchester, Boston. Massachusetts General Court. Massachusetts General Court. Connecticut River valley. Connecticut River. Connecticut River. Connecticut River. In 1635 , he settled in Windsor , Connecticut at the confluence of the Farmington River and the Connecticut River ; he lived there for the next twelve years and served as a civil Magistrate and military leader of the nascent Connecticut Colony .. Connecticut. Connecticut. Windsor. Windsor, Connecticut. Farmington River. Farmington River. Connecticut River. Connecticut River. Magistrate. Magistrate. Connecticut Colony. Connecticut Colony. In 1640 , he married Anne Peck from a prominent Puritan family ; they had eight children .. Puritan. Puritan. The most prominent episode in Mason 's lifelong career of public service was his overall command as captain of the Colonial forces in the Pequot War in 1637 .. Pequot War. Pequot War. This was the first declared and sustained conflict in Southern New England , a complex and risky campaign .. England. Plymouth, England. New England. New England. The large and powerful Pequot Tribe had subjugated other local tribes , killed numerous Colonial settlers and destroyed vital corn crops .. Pequot Tribe. Pequot. The Massachusetts Bay Colony eventually declared war with them , and reluctantly the infant Connecticut Colony was quickly drawn into the conflict .. Connecticut. Connecticut. Massachusetts Bay Colony. Massachusetts Bay Colony. Connecticut Colony. Connecticut Colony. The Pequots greatly outnumbered the Colonial forces , but the English had superior weapons and tactics .. English. English people. They also had the guidance and support of numerous Indian allies who were tributaries to the Pequots , especially Mohegan Sachem Uncas , who formed a unique and lasting bond with Mason and also Wequash Cooke .. Mohegan. Mohegan Indian Tribe. Uncas. Uncas. Wequash Cooke. Wequash Cooke. This brief and decisive war , with the Mystic Massacre in particular , forever changed the complexion of American society .. Mystic Massacre. Mystic Massacre. The battle at Mistick Fort was featured in the History Channel series 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America .. History Channel. History ( U.S. TV channel ). 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America. 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America. Following this victory , Mason was promoted to major and received numerous land grants as a reward for his services .. Mason 's Island at the mouth of the Mystic River remained in his family for over 250 years .. Mystic River. Mystic River ( Connecticut ). In 1647 , Mason assumed command of Saybrook Fort which controlled the main trade and supply route to the upper river valley .. Saybrook. Saybrook Colony. The fort mysteriously burned to the ground but another improved fort was quickly built nearby .. He spent the next twelve years there and served as Commissioner of the United Colonies , as the chief military officer , magistrate , and peacekeeper .. United Colonies. New England Confederation. magistrate. magistrate. He was continually called upon to negotiate the purchase of Indian lands , write treaties , or arbitrate some Indian quarrel , many of which were instigated by his friend Uncas .. Uncas. Uncas. His leadership abilities were unrivaled , which prompted the New Haven Colony to offer him a very lucrative position as manager of their enterprise in relocating to the Delaware River area .. New Haven Colony. New Haven Colony. Delaware River. Delaware River. However , he declined the offer and remained in Connecticut .. Connecticut. Connecticut. In 1659 , Major Mason moved from the mouth of the Connecticut River to the head of the Thames River , together with his son-in-law Rev. James Fitch and most of the Saybrook residents , and founded the town of Norwich , Connecticut .. Norwich. Norwich, Connecticut. Connecticut. Connecticut. Connecticut River. Connecticut River. Saybrook. Saybrook Colony. Thames River. Thames River ( Connecticut ). Rev. James Fitch. James Fitch ( minister ). The land `` nine miles square '' was purchased from Mohegan Sachem Uncas , who also signed over to Mason all the territory in his tribe 's domain as a protector and administrator .. Mohegan. Mohegan Indian Tribe. Uncas. Uncas. Questions regarding title to these thousands of acres created legal disputes which lasted for seventy years ; the Mohegan Land Case actually consisted of several cases and appeals making their way through various courts in Connecticut , Massachusetts , and even back in London , England before the Lords Commissioners .. England. Plymouth, England. Connecticut. Connecticut. Mohegan. Mohegan Indian Tribe. Lords Commissioners. Lords Commissioners. Several of the Major 's Mason 's descendants in the role of the Tribal overseers , went bankrupt and even died over in England in the process of defending the Mohegan land rights .. England. Plymouth, England. Mohegan. Mohegan Indian Tribe. During his twelve years in Norwich , John Mason served for nine years as Deputy Governor -LRB- 1660 to 1669 -RRB- , and he helped to write the Connecticut Charter .. Norwich. Norwich, Connecticut. Connecticut. Connecticut. Deputy Governor. List of Lieutenant Governors of Connecticut. Charter. Charter. He served as acting Governor from 1661 to 1663 while Governor John Winthrop Jr. went to England to obtain approval of the Charter from King Charles II .. England. Plymouth, England. Charter. Charter. King Charles II. Charles II of England. In 1669 , pleading old age and infirmities , he retired to a revered advisory position , but he suffered painfully in the last years of his life from cancer , which was then referred to as the `` strangury '' .. He died on January 30 , 1672 at the age of seventy two and is buried in the Post-Gager cemetery with the other founders of Norwichtown , Connecticut .. Connecticut. Connecticut. Norwichtown. Norwichtown