Robert Rogers
Colonial American ranger
The Major [Rogers] is Sett out for
Michilimackinac to bring away the
Garrison…If he passes the bay of
Saguinaw before the Frost overtakes
him he may get there.
British Captain Donald
Campbell, December 11.
1760
Born in 1731 on the western
frontier of Massachusetts, Robert
Rogers
won fame leading his unit of Rangers, frontiersmen who
used their backwoods skills to scout for the British army
during the French and Indian War.
At the war’s end in 1760, Rogers was sent by
the British to accept the surrender of the
French soldiers at Detroit, Michilimackinac and
other Great Lakes forts.
In 1763, Rogers fought Pontiac’s warriors near
Detroit in the Battle of Bloody Run. Based on
his experience with Indians Rogers was chosen
to be British governor at Michilimackinac in
1766. Roger’s rivals had him arrested on
charges of treason the next year. Though
Rogers was acquitted, his career was ruined.
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable
Fur trader
I had the negro, Baptiste Point du
Sable, brought prisoner from the
River Du Chemin. Corporal Toscon
prevented the Indians from
burning his house, or doing him any
injury.
...
British Lieutenant Thomas
Bennett September 1. 1779
Jean Baptiste Point du
Sable was probably born in
Haiti. In America he
established himself as a fur
trader on the south shore of
Lake Michigan.
In 1779, the British
commander at Michilimackinac suspected du Sable
of aiding the Americans and sent soldiers to arrest
him. Briefly imprisoned at Mackinac, du Sable was
released when Ojibwe living on the St. Clair River
demanded the trader be sent to run the trading post
there.
After the war, du Sable returned to his trading post
on Lake Michigan, named Chicagou.
Alexander Henry
British fur trader
My hair was cut off and my head
shaved . . . my face was paint’d with
three or four different colors. . . . A
shirt was provided for me painted with
vermillion mixed with grease. . . Over
all, I was to wear a scarlet blanket.
[T]he ladies of the family, and of the
village, in general, appeared to think
my person improved, and now
condescended to call me handsome,
even among Indians.
Alexander Henry, Travels and
Adventures in Canada, 1801
Alexander Henry was one of the first British fur
traders to come to the Great Lakes after the French
surrendered Canada in 1761. Many of the French
settlers and Indians were still angry over the
surrender and were hostile to Henry and the other
British merchants.
In 1763, Henry was captured in the Anishnabeg
surprise attack on Fort Michilimackinac but was
adopted by Ojibwe leader Wawatam. Henry spent the
winter hunting and trapping with Wawatam’s family.
Eventually, Henry returned to fur trading, exploring
north of Lake Superior and out to the eastern Plains.
Tecumseh
Indian leader
Tech-kum-thai has kept . . . [the
Indians] faithful – he has shewn
himself to be a determined
character
British Indian Agent
Matthew Elliot
Tecumseh was a
Shawnee leader who
grew up in Ohio.
After the British ceded
the Ohio Valley to the
United States in 1783, American settlers flooded
onto Indian lands forcing the Shawnee to move west.
Tecumseh and his brother, Tenskwatawa, “the
Prophet,” rallied other tribes, including the
Anishnabeg, to fight American settlers.
Tecumseh led Indians during the War of 1812,
helping the British capture Fort Detroit. He was
killed at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813.
Tecumseh’s Indian confederation fell apart and the
British deserted their Indian allies at the end of the
War of 1812.
Daniel Boone
American frontiersman
[The Shawnee] had the good fortune
to make Prisoners Captain Daniel
Boone with 26 of this men.
British Lieutenant Governor Henry
Hamilton, April 25, 1778
Daniel Boone was born in
1734 in eastern
Pennsylvania. His family
later moved to North
Carolina.
Boone, famous for leading
American settlers in Kentucky, fought British agents
and Indian warriors from Detroit during the
American Revolution.
In February 1778, Boone was captured by Shawnee
warriors. He was taken to the British at Detroit but
escaped.
On August 19, 1782, Boone and other Kentucky
militiamen were ambushed at Blue Licks, Kentucky
by British and Indians supplied from Detroit. About
70 Kentuckians were killed, including Boone’s
youngest son Israel.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
French leader
I had occaision to observe that M. de la
Mothe, who commands there, was
generally hated be all French people and
the savages.
Sieur D’Aigremont, Report to
the French Minister of Marine,
1708
Cadillac was born in Les
Laumets, France in 1658. He
came to Canada in 1683, and
was appointed commander of
Michilimackinac in 1694.
Cadillac served there until
1697, when the king closed the
western fur trading posts.
In 1701, Cadillac persuaded the Minister of Marine,
to allow him to build a settlement he named Ville
deTroit, which means Village of the Straits in
French.
Cadillac persuaded some Anishinabeg and other
Indians to move there to trade with French settlers.
While he was supposed to grow the settlement at
Detroit, Cadillac grew rich from illegal trading and
made a mess of relations with the Indians. He was
eventually recalled and made governor of Louisiana.
René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La
Salle
French explorer
But the ship was hardly a
League from the Coast, when
it was tossed up by a violent
Storm in such a manner, that
our Men were never heard
from since. This was a great
loss for M. la Salle.
Louis Hennipin, A New
Discovery of a Vast Country in
America, 1697
Born in Rouen, France in
1643, LaSalle’s thirst for adventure led him to spend much
of his life exploring eastern North America. LaSalle came to
Canada in 1667. He left on his first expedition to the west
two years later.
In 1678, LaSalle built the first European ship on the Great
Lakes, the Griffon. LaSalle sailed the small ship to
Mackinac and then to Green Bay where LaSalle loaded a
cargo for furs traded from the Indians. He planned to meet
Griffon at Fort Miami (at the mouth of the St. Joseph
River), but when the ship did not meet him, LaSalle
decided to walk across the Lower Peninsula to make his
way back to Niagara.
LaSalle made one more attempt to locate the Griffon on his
way to the Illinois country in 1680, but failed to locate the
ship. As part of his continuing explorations, LaSalle
became the first Frenchman to locate the mouth of the
Mississippi in 1682.
Louis Jolliet
French fur trader and explorer
They were not mistaken in the choice that they made of Sieur Jolyet,
For he is a young man, born in this country, who possesses all the
qualifications that could be desired for such an undertaking.
Jesuit Relations, Volume LIX, 1669
Jolliet was baptized in
1645 in Quebec. In
1667, Jolliet decided to
leave his studies and
become a fur trader.
In1671, Jolliet was
present at Sault Ste.
Marie for SaintLusson’s ceremony
claiming the western
country for France.
Jolliet is best known for
travelling with Father Jacques
Marquette on his journey down
the Mississippi in 1673.
Although the expedition turned
back before reaching the mouth
of the Mississippi, they were the
first Frenchmen to explore the
mighty river.
Father Jacques Marquette
French priest and explorer
After proceeding 40 leagues on This same route,
we arrived at the mouth of our River; and, at 42
and a half degrees Of latitude, We safely
entered Missisipi on The 17th of June, with a Joy
that I cannot Express..
Father Marquette, 1674
Marquette, born Laon, France in
1637, studied for the priesthood but
wanted to be a missionary.
In 1668 Marquette and Father
Claude Dablon built a mission at
Sault Ste. Marie to try to convert the
Indians there. Marquette went on to
establish other missions, including St. Ignace in
1671.
In 1673 Marquette, along with Louis Jolliet, became
the first Frenchmen to explore the Mississippi
River. The expedition turned back before reaching
the mouth of the river.
The next summer, after recovering from an illness,
Marquette set out to start a mission at Kaskaskia,
in the Illinois country. The cold weather and the
return of his illness forced Marquette to stop for the
winter. He reached Kaskaskia in 1675, but died on
the return trip to St. Ignace.
Étienne Brûlé
French explorer
I also saw my French boy who came dressed like
an Indian. He was well pleased with the treatment
received from the Indians, according to the customs
of their country, and explained to me all that he had
seen during the winter, and what he had learned
from the Indians.
Champlain, Voyages, 1613
Brûlé was born in 1592, near Paris,
France. He arrived in Quebec about
1608.
Two years later, Brûlé was sent to live with
Indians in Canada, including the Huron. He learned
Indian languages and became an interpreter for the
French.
Brûlé explored the territory of the Huron, and with
Huron guides, he travelled down the Susquehanna
River into Pennsylvania.
In 1620, Brûlé travelled the western Great Lakes
and was the first European to see Lakes Huron and
Superior.
Simon François, d’Aumont,
sieur de Saint Lusson
French colonizer
For, when all had assembled in a
great public council and a height
overlooking, as it did, the Village
of the people of the Sault, — he
caused the Cross to be planted
there, and then the King’s
standard to be raised, with all
the pomp that he could devise.
Jesuit Relations, Volume LV,
1673
In 1670, d’Aumont, sieur
de Saint Lusson was
sent by the Intendant of
New France to explore
the area around Lake Superior to look for copper
mines and a water route to the Pacific.
On June 4 1671, Saint Lusson invited area tribes to
an elaborate ceremony at Sault Ste. Marie at which
he claimed the entire region for the French king.
Arent Schuyler DePeyster
British officer
You…have acquired the affection of the
different [Indian] nations around you…
General Frederkick Haldimand to Major
Arent Schuyler DePeyster, 14 June 1779
DePeyster was born in New York
City in 1732. He joined the British
army in 1757. DePeyster shipped
out with his regiment when it was
ordered to Canada in 1768.
During the American Revolution
(1775-1783) DePeyster served as the commander of
Fort Michilimackinac and later Detroit.
DePeyster recruited Indians from the Great Lakes
region to aid the British in their fight against
American colonists on the frontier. He was able to
broker a truce between longtime enemies the Dakota
and Ojibwe. DePeyster cautioned Indian warriors not
to mistreat prisoners and tried to ransom many of
the captives that warriors brought to him.
When he retired to Scotland in 1794, DePeyster, a
poet himself, made friends with Robert Burns.
Jean-Baptiste
Assiginack
Odawa leader
Born at Arbre Croche (near
Harbor Springs) around
1768, Assiginack and his
warriors helped the British
during the War of 1812.
After the war in 1815,
Assiginack was an
interpreter for British at
Drummond Island.
In 1827, Assiginack, a Catholic convert, went to
Arbre Croche to assist at the new mission there. In
1830 he led a group of Odawa to Manitowaning on
Manitoulin Island, Canada to avoid removal west the
United States government.
Ozhawguscodaywaquay
Ojibwe leader and fur trader
Ozhawguscodaywaquay or
“Green Meadow Woman” was
from LaPointe, Wisconsin. Her
father was a principal chief of
the Ojibwe.
In 1793,
Ozhawguscodaywaquay
married Irish fur trader John
Johnston, becoming Susan
Johnston. The Johnston’s
established their trading
business at Sault Ste. Marie.
In June of 1820, Territorial Governor Lewis Cass
came to the Sault with U.S. soldiers to purchase
land for a fort. Ozhawguscodaywaquay used her
influence to calm her angry Ojibwe relatives
preventing a war.
Leopold Pokagon
Potawatomi leader
Leopold Pokagon became
leader of the Potawatomi
of the Saint Joseph River
Valley after Topinabee
died in 1826.
Pokagon converted to
Catholicism helping his
attempts to protect his
band from American
pressure to leave their
homes.
Pokagon negotiated an amendment to the 1833
Treaty of Chicago that allowed his band to remain on
their land while many Potawatomi were removed
west of the Mississippi River. Then he used tribal
funds to buy land for his band.
In 1841, Pokagon, with the assistance of a Michigan
Supreme Court justice, blocked another attempt to
force his people to leave their homes.
Lewis Cass
American governor
Lewis Cass was born
October 9, 1782 in Exeter,
New Hampshire. In 1800 he
moved with his family to
Marietta, Ohio.
During the War of 1812,
Cass served as an officer in
the Ohio militia and fought
at the Battle of the Thames.
On October 29, 1813, Cass
was appointed Governor of
Michigan Territory.
In 1820, Cass led an expedition to the northern
Great Lakes, in order to claim the region for the
United States.
Cass took the post of Secretary of War in 1831. He
was a central figure in the Indian removal policy of
President Andrew Jackson. Cass negotiated several
treaties with Michigan Indians resulting in huge
losses of tribal lands.
Chief Okemos
Ojibwe leader
Okemos was born around
1775 in what is now
Shiawassee County. In the
Ojibwe language Ogimaans
means "Little Chief,”
referring to Okemos’
shortness of stature.
In 1796, Okemos served as a
scout for the British army. During the War of 1812
Okemos fought at the Battle of Fort Stephenson in
northern Ohio. During the battle, he was slashed
with a saber that left a five-inch scar on his
forehead.
Okemos represented the Ojibwe people at the Treaty
of Saginaw in 1819. In the 1840s, Okemos and his
people traded and co-existed peaceably with settlers
in southern Michigan.
Elizabeth Mitchell
Métis fur trader
Born Elizabeth Bertrand, to an Ojibwe mother and
French father, she was raised at Arbre Croche by her
Odawa relatives. In July 1776, she married David
Mitchell a surgeon with the British King’s 8th
Regiment at Michilimackinac. When David’s
regiment shipped out, he received permission to stay
at the frontier fort with his wife and daughter.
The Mitchells started a successful fur trading
business on Mackinac Island when British moved
the fort there in 1781. David Mitchell remained loyal
to the British crown and when Americans first took
over Mackinac Island in 1796, he left with the
British troops. Elizabeth stayed on the island to run
their business.
Madeline LaFramboise
Métis fur trader
Madeline LaFramboise was the daughter of a
French-Canadian fur trader and an Odawa mother.
She was raised in an Odawa village near the mouth
of the Grand River.
She married Joseph LaFramboise and had a
daughter Josette by the time she was 15 years old.
Madeleine was a great asset to her husband in the
fur trade as she spoke four languages (French,
English, Odawa and Ojibwe) and knew the ways and
customs of the Anishnabeg.
In 1806 her husband was killed at their trading post
near present-day Lowell. Madeleine gathered up her
furs and her two children and took her husband's
body to Mackinac Island where she started a
successful fur trade business.
In 1816, her daughter Josette married Benjamin K.
Pierce, commandant of Fort Mackinac and brother of
the future president of the United States, Franklin
Pierce.
Jupiter Wendell
Cooper and sailor
Wendell was from the Albany, New York area. In
1775, Wendell was enslaved by fur trader John
Askin, who brought him to Mackinac. Wendell was a
skilled cooper who made barrels to hold Askin’s
merchandise. Askin also depended on Wendell’s
skills as a sailor to sail his two ships on many
important voyages.
Elizabeth “Lisette” Denison Forth
Trailblazer, Detroiter
The petitioners were born within the precincts & jurisdiction of the Port
of Detroit while it was a Part of Upper Canada & were children of
slaves owned by William Tucker…William Tucker & his heirs…were
contemplated by Jay’s Treaty and were therefore entitled to retain
their property.
Michigan Justice Augustus B. Woodward’s opinion on the case of
Denison vs. Tucker, 1807
Lisette was born into slavery in 1786, her mother
and father having been purchased by Detroiter
William Tucker.
In 1807, after the formation of Michigan Territory,
the Denison family sued the Tuckers for their
children’s freedom but Michigan Supreme Court
Justice Augustus Woodward ruled against the
Denisons.
Later that year, Woodward ruled that slaves who fled
to Canada could not be forced to return to their
owners in the United States. This opened the way
for enslaved Americans to flee to Canada to gain
their freedom. The Denisons were among the first to
escape to Canada along a route that would become
known as the Underground Railroad.
Lisette returned to Detroit as a free woman in 1817,
becoming a landowner, landlord and stockholder in
the Michigan Central Railroad.
Mary Lewis Hoyt
Pioneer Girl
In 1840 these Potawatomies were removed by the United States
Government beyond the Mississippi, and very reluctantly they left
their homes among the lakes and oak openings and the silver streams
of Michigan.
Mary Lewis Hoyt, Early Recollections of the Pioneer Life in Michigan,
1906
Mary was born in New York State in 1832. Her
family traveled to the Michigan frontier in 1836 in a
wagon, following an Indian trail through the thick
woods.
Mary’s family settled in Yankee Springs where her
father built the first hotel in the area serving
travelers on the frontier road, including Lewis Cass.
Mary wrote in her memoir about how her family got
along well with the Potawatomi and traded with
them for venison, turkeys, fish, berries and maple
sugar. Mary remembered how, in 1840, her Indian
neighbors were forced to leave their homes by the
U.S. government.