from the
509th Bombardment Wing dropping
Mark 82 practice bombs during a training mission over the island In 1602, during the British ship
Concords exploration of
Cape Cod, Captain
Bartholomew Gosnold named Nomans Land "Martha's Vineyard" after his eldest daughter, Martha. However, the name was later transferred to the larger island currently known as
Martha's Vineyard, which is located northeast of Nomans Land. The island's name, "Nomans Land", may be derived from that of a Martha's Vineyard
Wampanoag sachem, Tequenoman, who may have had jurisdiction over the island when the English came in the early 17th century. In 1914,
Joshua Crane purchased the island for use as a private game preserve. Crane kept pheasants, cattle, and hogs on the island and a caretaker and his family lived on the property year round. During
Prohibition, the waters off Nomans Land became a hot spot for
rum-running. During
World War II, the Crane family leased the island to the
United States Navy.
An airfield was constructed by the U.S. Navy on the southern edge of the island between November 1942 and May 1944, and the island was used, beginning in World War II, as
Nomans Land Range for 53 years (1943–1996).
Rune stone A stone covered in
runes mentioning the
Viking explorer
Leif Erikson, believed to be the first European to set foot in North America, was reportedly discovered in 1926 and photographed near the coast of the island. If it were authentic, it might suggest that Vikings had traveled as far south as present-day Massachusetts, and that it is the true location of the settlement of
Vinland; however, archaeologists have considered it a hoax. Translations of the runes on the stone contained unusual grammar as well as
Roman numerals, which has led to skepticism about its credibility.
Undetonated bombs on and around the island have prevented further investigations. == Ecology ==