Detroit By Night
The French Fur Trading Empire
Cadillac and the French Indian War
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was commandant of Fort de Buade in New France (the area now known as
Quebec) when it was decommissioned in 1697 at the request of Jesuit missionaries who were upset at the
practice of trading brandy to Native Americans. Cadillac was troubled by the idea of not having a major
stronghold in the west to keep the rival British confined to the east coast. He was also interested in the
profits in personally controlling the region’s lucrative fur trade. He wanted to "Europeanize" Native
Americans and entice them to establish settlements around the post, to provide labor and tariffs. He
believed that the area known as le detroit was the perfect place to carry out his plans. The river would
help in defending the fort, as well as making travel easy. In 1698 he convinced King Louis' Minister of
Marine of the advantages of a major settlement on the Detroit River.
Cadillac’s expedition landed at the site of modern Detroit and founded Fort Ponchartrain in 1701. It’s
population quickly grew with French settlers and frequent visitors from several Native American villages
in the area.
Back in Paris on October 31, 1701, a contract was made between King Louis XIV and the "Company of
the Colony of Canada", a Canadian fur company. The contract gave the Company of the Colony total
control of, and responsibility for the settlements in the region, including Fort Ponchartrain. Cadillac
became an employee of the company. He was not made aware of this personally devastating action until
representatives from the Company arrived at Fort Ponchartrain to take over on July 18, 1702.
Under the management of the Company, relations with the Native Americans turned sour by November,
1702. The Natives were no longer allowed to freely enter the fort, and were offered a lower amount
of decreasing quality brandy and other items for trade.
In 1706, trouble broke out between two neighboring Native American groups (Miamies and Hurons, and
the Ottawas). A group of Ottawas attacked the Miami village, killing several people. Many of the
surviving Miamies entered the fort where Cadillac’s second-in-command ordered the French soldiers to
defend them when the Ottawas pursued them. Thirty Ottawa warriors, one soldier and the fort’s
Franciscan priest were killed. The Miamies then attacked the Ottawa settlement.
Cadillac had the Ottawa leader, Chief Le Pesant, jailed and promised "his head" to the Miamies. Then
Cadillac secretly helped the Chief "escape" from the fort (and the area) in order to free him without
appearing to break his promise. The Miamies did not buy the ruse and in response, killed three settlers.
Cadillac retaliated by attacking the Miami village on the St. Joseph River.
Shortly afterward, Cadillac was promoted to Governor of the Province of Louisiana, probably to prevent
him from antagonizing the natives any more. Unfortunately, news of the French military’s actions spread
through the native tribes and in May of 1712, Fort Ponchartrain was attacked by 1,000 Foxes, Sacs, and
Mascoutens. Only 33 soldiers were stationed at Fort Ponchartrain at the time, making it the perfect
opportunity for the enemy tribes. Word of the attack reached the Wyandot and Ottawa tribes who then
came to Fort Ponchartrain’s aid. What followed was 19 days of intense fighting. At the end, the Sacs
and their allies were forced to flee the area after running out of food and suffering many casualties.
Despite the fact that France declared war on Great Britain on March 15, 1744, life in the fort and the
village now surrounding it was fairly quiet and pleasant until 1746, when Chief Mackinac led a group of
Chippewa from the north in an attack on Fort Ponchartrain. Some Wyandots and Iroquois set aside their
differences to join the attack. The attack was unsuccessful as Chief Pontiac of the Ottawas fiercely drove
out the attackers. Though the villagers weren't too threatened by the battle itself, they did face a threat of
starvation as they were frightened into staying in or near the fort.
By 1760, the British had defeated the French and the colony of New France was surrendered to them.
On November 29, 1760, in pursuance with the articles of capitulation, British Major Robert Rogers took
command of Fort Ponchartrain du Detroit, ending French rule in Detroit forever.
The following decades would see the Native Americans subjugated and driven away, and Detroit
gradually grow from a handful of farms and a fur trading outpost into a proper town. Following the
Revolutionary War, Michigan became a state in 1837. Detroit continued to grow with the trickling
arrival of European immigrants sailing into the Great Lakes.
Stryck Wiki