This tour was curated by: America250MI
America250MI is the Official resource for the United States Semiquincentennial commemoration in Michigan. Visit America250MI.org to learn more!
The first fort on the Straits of Mackinac was constructed in about 1690 by the French near the St. Ignace Mission on the north side of the Straits of Mackinac. It was closed in 1697 and by the early 1700s, the French began to refortify the area. The fort became the main trade depot of the upper Great Lakes fur trade. The fort was used as both a military post and a civilian community. Michilimackinac remained a French outpost until 1761 when British soldiers took control after their victory in the French and Indian War.
On May 9, 1763, the Native Americans looked to take over Fort Detroit from the British Army. This was all during the Pontiac’s Rebellion, which was a Native American uprising against their British superiors. The man leading the charge, Pontiac, was an Ottawa chief and military leader for his tribe. Leading the British was Maj. Gen. Henry Gladwin followed by British officer Donald Campbell, who died during this attack. It ended in a British victory, but the rebellion would lead to a stalemate for both sides until the American Revolution.
The French established a fort at this location in 1691 to trade furs with Native Americans and establish a claim to this territory. These soldiers were able to enter the area thanks to the previous diplomatic work of French missionary Claude-Jean Allouez who had arrived in the 1680s, as well as the desire of area tribes to trade goods with the colonists of European descent. This fort would later be controlled by forces of Great Britain, Spain, and the United States.
This Tour is a Thematic Tour or Heritage Trail.
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Sites related to the Revolutionary War in present day Michigan. Tour curated by America250MI. Visit America250MI.org to learn more about the United States Semiquincentennial commemoration in Michigan.
