A Little Native History

 The  25-foot hand-chiseled totem pole that stands watching over the incoming  ships, tourists, and fisherman at Inlet Park in downtown Ocean City was  a gift to the State of Maryland. The carving, completed in 1976,  represents an Assateague Indian. The Assateague Indians called the  shores of Maryland and Virginia home until the mid-1700’s.
           The Native Americans were generally a friendly tribe, until the European  settlers docked their ships off of Assateague’s coast and tried to make  the natives give up their land. The Assateauges did not like the idea  of giving their land, that was the perfect place for crabbing, hunting,  fowling, and fishing, to never-before-seen and unfamiliar men. The land  ownership conflicts resulted in the 1662 Maryland Treaty and the  disappearance of every tribe member as well as a new European  settlement.
          World-famous artist, Peter Toth, created 50  totem poles – one in each state – to promote unity among all people. The  carving of the Assateague Indian was placed in the Inlet Park as a  tribute to the Native American Culture that once thrived in Ocean City.