The Lenni Lenape Indians (also called the Delaware Indians) were in
both the Delaware and Lehigh Valleys when settlers began to arrive from
Europe. Much of the settlement occurred along the Delaware River. In
the 1600s, the area where the Lehigh flows into the Delaware was
known as the Forks of the Delaware (presently Easton). In the 1600s
the Lenape called the river "Lechauwekink" which translates
into "where there are forks." The Pennsylvania Germans shortened
this name to "Lecha" which the English proceeded to mistranslate
into Lehigh (Zagofsky, 1997).