before the arrival of european settlers, the land now encompassing most of pike county was the domain of the lenape people. the lenape were expelled from the area after the walking purchase of 1737, which placed a large amount of new territory under the control of the province of pennsylvania. the land was next under conflict because it was claimed by settlers from connecticut, eventually fueling the pennamite–yankee wars between 1769 and 1784. after the revolutionary war, the former colony became today's commonwealth of pennsylvania and land began to be settled.