The beavers were so sought after that they were totally removed from what is now the Delaware Valley area. In the late 1600s the British came to the new world to get in on the fur trading which was now a large business for the other Europeans already there. At this time the British were at conflict with the Swedes and the Dutch. Because of this the British took over settlements owned by these nations. A British man by the name of Captain Samuel Argall names the bay and river after Sir Thomas West, Lord De La War, and the governor of Jamestown. From this time forth the Lenni Lenape is now known as the Delawares. The British, unlike the previous nations, wanted to set up permanent settlements. William Penn founds the area of Pennsylvania in this time. The King of England gave this land to William Penn's father as payment for a debt. The city of Philadelphia is founded at this time as well. Mills are set up in mid 1750's. Fur trading continues. This had huge impacts on the environment. The beaver is exterminated in the state of Pennsylvania. Large numbers of trees cut down for building materials. Many animal populations down do to hunting. And finally early stages of water pollution appear at Naylor's Run at the mill sites. The Lenni Lenape, now called Delawares, trade their land away and are pushed out to Oklahoma, and others to Wisconsin and Canada.
This brings us to the Industrial Revolution era. This lasted from 1800 to 1900. At this time factory work and industrial mills boomed. Cities began to grow and suburbs are established. More mills are built and to produce the ever growing demand of goods. Impacts on the environment grow more severe. Fertilizers used on farms wash into streams, coal being burned in factories and homes pollutes air, factory wastes enter water systems, and municipal sewage is expelled into the surrounding rivers.
The modern era now begins. It spans from the early 1900's to the present date.