Landing at the Christina River (March 29, 1638)

On March 29, 1638, Swedish and Finnish settlers stepped ashore near today’s Wilmington, Delaware, at the Christina River, after a perilous Atlantic crossing. They raised Fort Christiana (Fort Christina), naming it for their young queen, Christina of Sweden. In a raw landscape of forest and marsh, they began with what settlers most need: shelter, order, and hope grounded beyond themselves.

Accounts emphasize public prayer and psalm-singing as timbers were set and ground cleared. Their first days joined worship to work, seeking a community shaped by Scripture rather than mere necessity. “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

Peter Minuit

The landing was led by Peter Minuit, an experienced colonial organizer known for steady judgment and diplomatic skill. He guided the expedition’s immediate priorities: secure a defensible site, establish reliable trade, and maintain peace in a contested region. His leadership shows a practical heroism—courage expressed not only in bold decisions, but in the daily discipline of provisioning, planning, and settling disputes before they became violence.

Minuit’s role also highlights the moral weight of first dealings in a new land: to speak truthfully, to bargain without deceit, and to restrain fear when uncertainty presses hard.

Fort Christina and Neighborly Dealings

Fort Christina became the foothold of New Sweden in the Delaware Valley, a small stockaded outpost meant to protect families and supplies amid rival claims from Dutch and English interests. Yet the settlers also sought stability through negotiated agreements and commerce with local Native peoples, trading peaceably and recognizing that survival depended on more than walls.

Such restraint required self-control and neighborly regard, virtues easily lost when power feels fragile. In a place where strangers met as strangers, the call to honorable conduct remained clear: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)

Legacy in the Delaware Valley

Though the colony’s political fortunes shifted, their faithful labor helped plant enduring communities and a continuing Christian witness. Their story encourages perseverance: Christ gathers the displaced, steadies the fearful, and makes wilderness places fruitful through ordinary obedience.