Daniel Nimham (1724-1778) was a chief of the Wappinger Indians and was the most prominent Native American of his time living in the Hudson Valley.

The Wappingers descended from ancestors who were forced to part with their best lands during the preceding century, and who roamed the hills and valleys of Putnam and Dutchess Counties.

Chief Nimham learned to speak English and used his multi-cultural skills to defend his people’s rights in the courts of London and New York. When betrayed by the British Crown, he joined the rebel army and found common cause with colonists who were struggling to free themselves from royal authority.

Daniel Nimham and a group of his fellow Wappinger’s fought for the American cause during the Revolution. They served with George Washington at Valley Forge and later fought with General Marquis de Lafayette's troops. They fought at Bunker Hill and at Monmouth.

Unfortunately, all hope for fairer treatment under the Americans, ended in August of 1778 when Daniel Nimham and 50 of his fellow Wappinger’s were killed by Loyalist and British Dragoons in the Battle of Kingsbridge in the Bronx. A monument to his sacrifice marks the spot near Indian Field in Van Cortland Park.

It is said that once each year during his 38 years as Sachem, Daniel Nimham would stand on the very Mountain given his name and claim the mountains and valleys we see today as the land of his people.

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