In the days before the voyages and discoveries of Samuel de Champlain and Father Louis Hennepin, the Downriver area was populated by two major Indian tribes: the Wyandot (pictured above left) and the Huron (pictured above right).
The tribe which would become the Wyandot, from which the city of Wyandotte takes its name, had its origination within the Huron Indian tribe. With between 30,000 and 45,000 tribe members, they were likely centered around present-day Montreal, Quebec before being discovered by French Fur traders in October, 1535. They would immigrate along with the fur traders to the Michigan territory. However, their number would dwindle significantly to one-fourth of its original size due to wars and epidemics in the 1600s.
The Huron tribe, meanwhile, was considerably larger, having formed along the Canadian border of Lake Ontario, then having moved to Georgian Bay, being discovered in 1615 by de Champlain. These natives were known as the Wendat which, translated, means “peninsula dwellers.”
The Wyandot Indians local history has come to know so well developed with a merger of the Huron and Petun tribes in the early 1700s, a variation of the Wendat. The western branch of this tribe would be the ones to redevelop themselves in Ohio and southern Michigan, including the Downriver area.
Fort Pontchartrain: Establishment, evolution
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (pictured at right), along with approximately one hundred French & indigenous settlers in tow, would establish Fort Pontchartrain on July 24, 1701, named after the French Minister of Marine. The first notable structure erected at the new fort would be the original St. Anne’s church, located near present-day Hart Plaza. Additionally, the area now known as Ecorse would also be governed by a settlement of French inhabitants.
Early times were not peaceful at the fort, with Cadillac struggling to maintain order upon an attack by the Ottawa tribe in 1706. The tide would change with the Fox War of 1712 involving a skirmish with the Meskwaki tribe, accompanied by members of the Kickapoo and Mascouten tribes. The French settlers would claim victory and use this to fortify Fort Pontchartrain to where it would become an epicenter of the region by the 1720s.
It would further evolve beginning in the 1740s with a change in focus from being military-based into a thriving agricultural community. However, this would be stilted by the dawning of the French & Indian War, which commenced in 1754. Affecting the area by 1758, the remaining indigenous settlers would end their personal involvement in the war.
Fort Pontchartrain would fall to a British seizure on November 29, 1760; upon this instance, the British would rename the settlement Fort Detroit.
Chief Pontiac’s 1763 council in Lincoln Park territory
Possibly the most important and far-reaching Indian council ever assembled was held in what is now Lincoln Park in 1763, when the great Ottawa Chieftain Pontiac called the Indians of the Midwest together to plot the destruction of the encroaching white man.
History does not tell us the exact location of the great assembly, which drew warriors and chiefs from every tribe and nation of Indians in the Great Lakes Region. We know only that it was held on the banks of the Ecorse River.
Tradition relates, however, that the Indians met near the confluence of the north and south branches of the Ecorse River, near the neck of land which still bears the name “Council Point” or Pontiac Point. The tepees of the huge band of warriors were probably erected throughout what is now Lincoln Park.
This would begin a three to four year period of unrest in the Great Lakes Region as this battle, called Pontiac’s War, would rage from 1763 to 1766. The ultimate goal was to utilize a group of 300 to capture Fort Detroit and head off the immigration of the white man. This initial siege did not turn in Chief Pontiac’s favor, although it would succeed in broadening the scope of the war’s coverage area: most of the Great Lakes and Midwest areas.
Pontiac would withdraw to the Illinois country by October of 1763. He would have some success in the conflict, having captured some areas near the Alleghenies. Toward the end of the war, Pontiac appeared to be mellowing from his earlier aggressive stances against white settlement, choosing instead to become a spokesperson. The hostilities officially ended in a meeting on July 25, 1766, in Oswego, New York.
Chief Pontiac was attacked and murdered on April 20, 1769 by a member of the Peoria People Indian tribe in an act of revenge. Settlements Downriver continued to increase as the years passed.
“… Therefore, my brothers, we must all swear their destruction and wait no longer. Nothing prevents us; they are few in numbers, and we can accomplish it.” – Attributed to Chief Pontiac
The arrival of Pierre St. Cosme as landowner…
Only thirteen years after Pontiac’s ill-fated war council, leading chiefs of the Potowatomi Nation deeded a huge tract of land to a Frenchman living at Detroit: Pierre St. Cosme. The grant, dated July 1, 1776, was signed four days before the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and would give St. Cosme and his two sons a piece of property which included most of present-day Allen Park, Ecorse, Lincoln Park, and a portion of Wyandotte.
This property extended approximately four miles back from the river. Its northern boundary followed what is now Southfield Road, while its southern flank followed a line close to present-day Goddard Road. The cost of the transaction must not have been too expensive; it has been described that St. Cosme, “for love and affection,” had been given a tract of land which today is worth untold millions of dollars. St. Cosme lived in the area until his death in 1787; his name would continue to live on with the naming of State Street as St. Cosme Line (the present-day Southfield Road in Lincoln Park) for many years.
… But was Campau the first permanent settler?
Debate has lingered for a long period of time amongst local researchers over whether the arrival of Pierre St. Cosme or Pierre Michal Campau would constitute the first white settlement Downriver.
Research conducted by this website initially concluded St. Cosme would be the first to live in the area. Other sources dictated Campau (first cousin to well-known Detroit landowner Joseph Campau) was the first to actually reside in the area now known as Southgate: he arrived there in 1795, eight years after St. Cosme’s death. Those sources also claim St. Cosme was a landowner only following his 1776 property acquisition, indicating his residence was still in the Detroit area.
However, given that St. Cosme’s descendants were already established in this area by 1795 – in a residence, presumably – it is of this website’s opinion that St. Cosme gains the “first” honor. Notwithstanding, it is a logical conclusion the debate will undoubtedly continue for the foreseeable future.
Grosse Ile established just after American Independence
As far back as 1718, a memoir belonging to the establishing Indian tribes on the Grosse Ile territory (the Fox, Sacs, Kikapoos and Potawatomies among them) stated there were long-lingering doubts whether Cadillac’s Fort Pontchartrain should instead have been founded on the island which they named Kitcheminishen. The apparent reason for this idea’s hesitation was their apprehension that “the timber would some day fail.”
Two days after signing the Declaration of Independence (July 6, 1776), the territory of present-day Grosse Ile Township was sold to brothers Alexander and William Macomb, by a grouping of various Indian tribes mentioned above. Secretary of State (and future President) James Monroe was among the signers. The Macomb brothers believed by purchasing this deed through the transfer of items of value, they had in fact obtained full ownership rights. In any case, the Macomb brothers are considered to be the founders, and first legal owners, of Grosse Ile; this is because the Potawatomis, and later the United States Government, respected the Macombs’ perceived rights to take possession of the island.
Slave trade active here, but under a tone of respect
Meanwhile, various Indian tribes would be at individual wars with invading settlers over already established plantations. Early slave activity was most prevalent among some of these tribes, who spun off these slaves to New York, the Indiana territory, and other areas. It was from these territories that some of the future state of Michigan’s most notable settlers would end up employing the slaves on their lands.
In a stark contrast to the dismal working atmospheres of the southern reaches of the country, the slaves in the northern territories were reported to have been treated with a great amount of respect during and after their service, although slavery as a whole was not condoned by the greater government. Many would receive the sacrament of Baptism, many others received donation lots in exchange for their service, and several could also speak the French language fluently. There was no “doctrine of higher law” applied to the slaves of the northern territories as were there to their southern counterparts.
Major Joseph Campau would be one of the major Detroit-area figures to have bought into the trade. Another would be James Duperon Baby (pictured at right), who owned land at the southern tip of the future Springwells Township (today’s Delray). For example, on October 22nd, 1793, a twelve-year-old named Frank would be sold to Baby for the sum – recorded in 1872 dollars – of $532.50 (now worth $17,908.43 today). The seller in this case was Phillip Jonciere, who laid claim to plantations on both sides of the Rouge River, including the future River Rouge territory Downriver.
Northern slavery would begin to vanish, in large part thanks to an Act signed by the United States Congress in July of 1787 making slavery or other servitude unlawful unless used as punishment for crimes.
However, the general idea began to fade before that time, as many enslaved members were liberated by their owners, or sold to owners outside of the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley area. The Act of 1787 was put in place primarily to prevent the spread of slavery north and west of the Ohio Valley.
British initially hesitant to turn territory over
Even over a decade after the end of the American Revolutionary War, Great Britain was still in technical control of the areas deeded to the United States, as its government was still trying to gain its footing.
In addition, the native Indians were once again moving toward another anti-white settler movement, despite the fact Pontiac’s War did not gain them traction initially.
In this instance, the Indian Tribes were also joined by the British in their quest to eliminate American encroachment, and this would begin a partnership that would last until the War of 1812.
The Americans then come calling for Fort Detroit
In the meantime, Fort Detroit to the north was still in the hands of the British even after the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, which would see Great Britain relinquish control of the Michigan territory (under the 1783 Treaty of Paris) to the United States. Conversely, the British occupants claimed they had yet to be reimbursed by the federal government for properties seized during the war. Now operating out of Fort Lernoult just north of the old Fort Detroit location, they would maintain their stubbornness against the U.S. for over thirteen years in order to maintain alliances with native nations, as well as to protect their fur trades.
The two nations did not wish another battle to take place. Yearning to look for an amicable resolution, Great Britain and the United States signed the Jay Treaty in 1794 which would help mend relations between the countries and encouraged peaceful trade in the midst of the French Revolutionary War, which had begun two years earlier.
Finally, July 11, 1796 would be the day the British encampment officially withdrew from Detroit. Led by Col. Hamtramck, the American flag would be raised there for the first time. Fort Detroit would remain operating under American control until the city’s Great Fire of 1805 wiped out the entire settlement area. Miraculously, there were no fatalities reported.
It was here that Fr. Gabriel Richard (at left) famously proclaimed, “Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus,“ whose translation means, “We hope for better things; it will rise from the ashes.” Detroit would end up adopting this phrase as the official city motto years later. The incident would also signal the arrival of Augustus B. Woodward, credited for redesigning the inner city layout to what we witness today.
Wyandots assist in peacemaking efforts
The Wyandot Indians were joining with other tribes to work toward peaceful overtures in Cadillac’s former settlement. By 1807 they played, along with the Odawa, Ojibwein and Potawatomi in signing the Treaty Of Detroit. The agreement, between the tribes and Michigan Territorial representative William Hull, ended up giving the United States a part of today’s southeastern portion of the Michigan territory
Within this scope of events, settlements continued their establishments in the Ecorse, Lincoln Park and River Rouge areas. Family names entering included the Campaus, Salliottes, Labadies, LeBlancs, Goodells, Bondies, Drouillards and many others.
The early settlers continued to purchase the strip farms, which were only a few hundred yards wide on the riverfront but extended back into the forest for several miles. The St. Cosme Land Grant farms fronted on the Detroit River, while other farms fronted on the Rouge River and ended on the northern edge of the St. Cosme property, which became known as the St. Cosme Line.
As the years went by and the families grew, new generations built homes farther back from the rivers; and early in the 1800’s, the first homes were probably built in what was to become Lincoln Park. The first settlement was not made near the present center of the city, however, but along the southern edge near Goddard Road.
Initial paths & roadways make an appearance
“The road is the physical sign or symbol by which you will best understand any age or people. If they have no roads, they are savages, for the road is the creation of man and a type of civilization.” – Unattributed
On November 25, 1808, by the Treaty of Brownstown, the Indians granted to the United States a tract of land two miles wide, which extended westward and northward from the Connecticut Western Reserve to the foot of the Rapids of the Miamis of the Lakes, with the understanding that a road should by built along this tract. Three years later the President authorized a party to survey and mark this road and six thousand dollars was set aside to cover the expense necessary to construct a road across the “Black Swamp.”
The first effort at road building was sort of a bridle path which ran along the west bank of the Detroit River and through the swamps in the vicinity of Toledo to Cleveland. This followed an Indian trail through the Black Swamp to Detroit and was known as the French-Indian Trail. This swamp consisted of a slightly elevated basin of impervious clay upon which rested a thick stratum of fertile black loam, and the surface was so level that water could not escape except by evaporation. As there wasn’t much evaporation, this area was always wet and travelers virtually had to swim through the swamp. Despite these obstacles, roads came into existence and an early bridle path became a modern thoroughfare which today is known as the River Road.
A second effort at highway construction was a little more successful. In 1817, from one hundred and fifty to two hundred troops, then stationed at Detroit, were employed in opening a road to Fort Meigs on the Miami (Maumee) via Frenchtown (Monroe). This road was established by authority as a military road 66 feet wide and was laid out and created by order of the President. A resolution was passed by Congress, April 4, 1818, requesting the Secretary of War to communicate progress and prospects for the completion of this road.
War of 1812 and the Battle of Monguagon
Known officially in the history books as the Battle of Maguaga, and alternately known as Battle of the Oakwoods, the Battle of the Monguagon was a skirmish between American and British forces which began with a blockaded path for needed supplies.
American Brigadier-General William Hull (shown on right) had settled to the old Fort Pontchartrain area, looking to strategize its location in an effort to launch a full-fledged ground assault on Upper Canada. Second thoughts of apprehension caused this attack not to go through, and Hull left the area for a time to tend to a developing British takeover of Mackinac Island.
Hull’s garrison of fighters were desperately in need of rations, and a volunteer group led by Captain Henry Brush arranged to meet with Hull’s brigade at Miami Rapids.
Included were 300 heads of cattle and 1,400 pounds of flour. This transaction ran into an initial blockade (the Battle of Brownstown) by British Captain Adam Muir of the 41st Regiment, as well as the Indian Chief Tecumseh, whose forces drove Hull’s detachment back.
Undeterred, and with his brigade likely getting desperate, Hull sent Lieutenant-Colonial James Miller (at left) to command a second attempt to Miami Rapids to obtain the supplies. This brigade was much larger, numbering 580 (regular fighters as well as Ohio Volunteers). However, they would run into another blockade by Muir and a group of 205 British, Canadian and Native American men standing on land which today is the city of Trenton. Miller’s men began to advance, wearing out the British front.
The accuracy of the British fighters was definitely called into question when they fired on supposed enemy targets moving behind them. These, however, were members of the Potawatomi tribe who were loyal to the British. Not clearly seeing who was firing at them, the Potawatomi assumed the fire came from American troops and began their own assault.
It took time for the common sides to realize they were fighting each other due to those assumptions.
The American advance, meanwhile, appeared to be fading. As a result, Muir commissioned the bugler of the 41st Regiment to lead a charge. Due to another unfortunate misinterpretation, this charge fizzled as well. Another battery of the 41st Regiment assumed the bugle call was a “retreat” order, where the opposite was the intent. As they retreated, Miller advanced past Muir’s original position and then saw his fighters from a distance. However, Miller did not elect to go further; this progress having satisfied him.
The battle numbers on their own were not satisfying for the American side, though: totals were 18 killed and 64 wounded. There were six deaths, 22 wounded, and two missing from the combined opposition. Miller’s state of mind was shaken by the losses. In addition, his fighters had discarded their knapsacks behind them to keep up an effective fight; it would require a trip from whence they came to retrieve these necessities.
This trip, Miller was rue to take. He instead elected to camp nearby and stayed there two days despite repeated orders by Hull to continue to Miami Heights. Muir’s brigade, unbeknown to Miller, had already left the area. Disgusted, Hull ordered Miller back to the Detroit territory, where he would certainly have faced court-martial had the opportunity arose.
Vreeland family arrives; Flat Rock territory develops
The first mention of any settlers in the area later to become Flat Rock was made by a French priest, Fr. Jean Dilhet. In describing his parish in 1798 he had included “Grosse Roche,” referring to a settlement named after the outcropping of limestone rock on the south side of the Huron River.
The first European-American settlers in Flat Rock territory were Michael Vreeland and his five grown sons, between 1811 and 1820. Michael had been captured by British Rangers during the American Revolutionary War and released after American Independence. The family ended up purchasing 800 acres in the territory.
The town was called the Village of Vreeland until some time after the upcoming Township plat was completed; after which the Vreeland family would sell off the majority of the land and relinquish control of the area. The family built the area’s first grain & lumber mill, having brought the grinding stones from New York. Descendants of Michael Vreeland still live in the town and have attended Flat Rock Public Schools, being the seventh generation (to date) to reside in the town their family founded.
1818-1827: Our modern townships are formed
Five years after an error-filled battle, January 15, 1818 recognized a strong proclamation. It was given by Lewis Cass, governor of the Michigan Territories, and would establish initial Township territories surrounding Detroit in Wayne County: Hamtramck, Huron, St. Clair, Springwells, and Monguagon.
These new territories were granted courtesy of a Court of General Sessions back on November 6, 1790, which decreed any such designation would be governed by a commissioner.
Eight years later, on April 12, 1827, Governor Cass eliminated the commissioner position for these territories, and also developed new townships, including Brownstown, Bucklin, Detroit, Ecorse and Plymouth.
It may be noted here that, prior to organizing as its own township many years later, Grosse Ile was part of Monguagon Township.
As described in the Wayne County Census report of 1884:
“Ecorse Township was organized by Legislative Council, 12 April 1827 embracing T3S-R10E and fractional T3S-R11E together with all the tract of county between River Rouge and the townships mentioned, and east of the farm of Conrad Ten Eyck and the Detroit River.” (Territory Laws Volume 2:479)
With the struggles of war long passed, the stage would therefore be set for the development of the Downriver area we know so well today.
