name was derived from Simon Wolcott's name. He was known familiarly as "Sim", and he was considered one of the prominent men of the town. King Philip's War In 1675, rumors of unrest among the indigenous peoples began to surface. The rumors proved accurate, and King Philip's War, a war between a number of tribes and the New England settlers, began in the summer. The war extended through parts of four colonies, with Simsbury on the western edge of the conflict. At the time, it was seen as a frontier settlement. The conflict was largely over by August 1676, although it did not formally end until a treaty was signed in 1678. The colony of Connecticut formed a Council of War. In the days leading up to the war, they ordered settlers to keep night watches and to work in the fields in armed groups of at least six. By the time of the colony's General Court meeting of October 14, 1675, the situation was considered serious enough that the court ordered the residents of Simsbury to move to safety in Windsor. The order read: In March 1676, the town of Simsbury was first pillaged, then burned to the ground. This destruction has been described as the most extensive of any event of any Indian War in New England. The settlers remained in Windsor until the spring of 1677, during which most moved back to Simsbury, though some never returned. Daniel Hayes In 1707, Daniel Hayes, then aged twenty-two, was captured by indigenous people and carried to Canada. The capture was witnessed and a rescue party was raised, but the group did not catch up with the captors. Hayes was tied up each night and bound to saplings. It took thirty days to reach Canada, where Hayes was forced to run the gauntlet. Near the end of the gauntlet, he hid in a wigwam to avoid an attempted blow by a club. The woman in the wigwam declared that the house was sacred and, having lost a husband and son to a war, adopted Hayes as her son. He remained for several years, attending to the woman. Eventually, he was sold to a Frenchman, who learned that Hayes had skill as a weaver and put him to work in that business. Hayes managed to earn enough to buy his freedom after two years. He then returned to Simsbury, settled down