French in Michigan

1. French in Michigan

2. The Northwest Passage • St. Lawrence River brings Europeans into Michigan waters • England, France and Spain claimed areas of the New World – French get Northern North America • Jacques Cartier – 1st explorer to travel St. Lawrence – sent to find the elusive Northwest Passage (profit) • Meets Huron-Iroquois and finds name for area is ‘Canada’ – meaning village – he uses it for all land area he visits • Trade with Natives began – furs and fish for metal knives, hatchets, fish hooks, and pots • Fur bearing animals were becoming scarce in Europe (beaver was extinct in England by 1520s)

4. 40N to 46N • French King wants a piece of the New World pie and allows fur trading companies to start settlements anywhere from 40N to 46N • Samuel de Champlain - 1604 starts a settlement on the southwest side of Nova Scotia – made charts of the harbor • First settlement is Quebec • Angry fur traders were already there as he tried to establish a settlement • Champlain begins war with Iroquois – killing two chiefs and leaving another to die

5. The Dutch • Natives traded furs to Dutch for new weapons • New France was unhappy with the Dutch trading practices • Champlain wanted to try to find northwest passage, but Natives not interested in sharing all their secrets • Etienne Brule and Nicolas knew the tribal languages • Brule and Champlain discovered Lake Ontario in 1615 – reached U.P. in 1622

6. The British and Battles • 1630 – British decided to sail up the St. Lawrence and take over New France • Nicolas and Brule were found by Champlain helping the British! – they had switched sides when it looked like the French would lose • Brule is killed by a group of Hurons before Champlain can bring him to trial • 1634 – Jean Nicolet sails up the Ottawa River – travels through the Straits of Mackinac and along North shore of Lake Michigan

7. The Missionaries

8. Jesuits were most aggressive missionaries in North America – also active in S. Am and Vietnam • Travelled far from French settlements – expanded area under French control • Studied tribal languages and customs making it easier for French to work with tribes • 1641 – Father Jogues and Father Raymbault left mission where they were working with Huron Tribes near Georgian Bay • Canoed north to St. Mary’s River between UP and Canada – met a village of friendly Natives and named Sault Ste. Marie – Sault = rapids • Iroquois decided to attack Huron and others in area – killed many and tortured and killed the priests • This time of Iroquois invasions was an uneasy time and most of the fur trade came to a halt in North America

9. 1660 – Fr. Menard goes to Lake Superior region, spends winter with Ottawa tribe near L’anse • On way back becomes separated from group and got lost and never seen again • French traders complained to King about attacks of the Iroquois - sends soldiers to attack their villages and burn their crops – Iroquois agree to uneasy peace • Claude Allouez travels along Superior and returns with copper from UP and stories of a great river to the west (could it be the elusive NW passage?) • 1668 – Fr. Marquette comes to MI – always wanted to be a missionary

10. Fr. Marquette meets Marie Guyard – she started a school for girls in Quebec and there was a hospital run by nuns – both are still operating today • Marquette learned languages and travelled toward Sault Ste. Marie – a route that had 18 portages, some six miles long • Preaches at Sault because many Natives came there in the summer to fish • Priests were known as Black Robes • Marquette started a permanent mission at Sault Ste. Marie making it the oldest city in Michigan • Marquette helped nurse an Ottawa back to health and a grateful man gave Marquette a Native slave captured from the Illinois tribe • Learns of a great river called ‘Mesippi’ • 1672 – Joliet arrives in St. Ignace mission – brought news that the French gov’t had given permission to explore the great river – but that was all the gov’t would do • In Quebec, the men make contracts to finance the trip promising profit from furs collected • (see pg. 48-49 for excerpts from journal entries)

11. As the men travelled, at about 33 degrees, they worried about falling into hands of Spanish – decision made to start travelling north again • Marquette stayed at mission at Fox River while Joliet continued to Sault Ste. Marie • Marquette becomes ill – decides to travel back to St. Ignace • Two friends help him, and in a desperate attempt to get him there, take an untravelled route along the east shore of Lake Michigan • Joliet has some setbacks, but eventually is given the largest island in the St. Lawrence River for his work in exploring the Mississippi • Jesuits recorded as much as they could about their ‘adventures’ in the area – it is reason we know so much about the early days of European settlement in MI