Fire Island, a Historical Overview“Rhythmic waves, high dunes, ancient maritime forests, historic landmarks and glimpses of wildlife: Fire Island has been a special place for diverse plants, animals and people for centuries” The origin of the name Fire Island is not entirely clear; there are many stories about where the island got its name. Its Native American name is thought to have been Sictem Hackey, which translated means "Land of the Secatogues", an Indian tribe from Bay Shore, New York. It was also part of what were called the "Seal Islands". Some historians have also suggested that the name Fire comes from a misinterpretation of the Dutch word "vijf" ("five") or in another version "vier" ("four") referring to the number of islands near the inlet of Fire Island. Some even say that's how the island appears to be on fire looking back from the ocean in the fall. Yet other explanations for Fire Island's name undoubtedly come from "Fire." Native Americans may have used fires to signal dry land; just as the whalers did when they required supplies from the Long Island mainland. It is also possible that whalers and fishermen erected fires along the shore to direct ships at night. One local tradition tells of shipwrecked people lighting fires on the beach to lure unfortunate ships onto the shallows to be plundered. The most sizable fires, however, were built by whalers who required days of "testing" such large fires, namely boiling blubber in whale oil. There is another version that states that the natives named the island after the skin rashes caused by rubbing against the abundant poison ivy that grows throughout the island. Long Island resident William Smith received a large area of ​​land on Long Island as ... .... middle of paper ...... people on the east side of the fence” or simply “oh, you're one of them,” to Ocean Beach and its many shops and bars/restaurants, widely known as the land of no, which is ironic since it is the biggest party town on the island. The sad part is that the vast majority of daily visitors to the island or weekly/monthly renters have no idea of ​​the history of the island, either from the beginning or during the world wars. There are those of us who were fortunate enough to have grown up on the island or a boat ride away from it. We are the ones who were lucky enough to know this wonderful place and lucky enough to have made it part of our lives. Works Cited www.fairharbor.com/history_fi_first_contact.htm, Fire Island: From Pirates to Slavery to Fun in the Sun - Newsday - Retrieved November 3, 2007, www.nps.gov/fiis/index.htm