Pre-Colonial Native Americans once subsisted in Oak Bluffs through fishing. In 1667, the first permanent European colony was established. Subsistence farming, fishing and shellfishing helped support those early settlers. In 1835, Island Methodists chose an oak grove on the edge of Squash Meadow for its first camp meeting. Groups of church members first stayed in tents for several days, then families began bringing their own tents to the weekend retreats.