I've written about Michigan's past numerous times - see the links at the bottom of this post - but this is perhaps the most descriptive I've been able to note of its 18th century past. Most of the words herein are not all of my own - the details in the narrative come from someone who was there at the time and had kept a journal of his travels, so this is a first-hand account of what was actually seen in the 1760s.
Bringing the past - our past - to life.
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As a youngster, I grew up partly in Detroit - founded in 1701, it is the city of my birth - and partly in a rural area north of that city, near a village on the banks of Lake Huron known as Lexington, Michigan (named after the famous Massachusetts town) where my grandfather had purchased a summer place, and where I have even more and fonder memories than I do of Detroit.
I had the best of both worlds - city and country.
While in Lexington I would often walk the beaches, or, on hot summer days, I would float along the shoreline of this Great Lake in my inner tube, and I would imagine how it may have looked back in the good old colony days, with the local Indian tribes, the forests, the deep blue water...
A few beaches down is a creek known as Mill Creek that veins off the lake, and along its banks was a tree-covered path that I used to follow as often as I could, for it gave me the feeling that I was a frontiersman foraging new lands. Because it was fairly remote, with the only sounds coming from the running stream, it was easy to imagine how it looked a century or more earlier.
As you can see, my passion for the past was with me, even as a child...
Anyhow, as I followed this twisting, winding path alongside of the creek I would run into an area we called The Spring Well, which had the coldest, clearest, freshest water you ever had.
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| Mill Creek in Lexington, Michigan~ The path is on the left side. |
As you can see, my passion for the past was with me, even as a child...
Anyhow, as I followed this twisting, winding path alongside of the creek I would run into an area we called The Spring Well, which had the coldest, clearest, freshest water you ever had.
True spring water.
Fill those canteens up!
Fill those canteens up!
Then continued forward...or sometimes back to where I started.
It was all great fun for me.
Unlike too many kids today, I can proudly say that the days of my youth were filled with such memories and adventures.
It was all great fun for me.
Unlike too many kids today, I can proudly say that the days of my youth were filled with such memories and adventures.
The original 13 colonies are well mapped and documented, nearly to a " T " in most cases. But 18th century settlements further inward - much farther inward - not so much. Other than snippets here and there, rarely does one read an actual description of what the upper midwest looked like back when our country was not yet a country.
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| Jonathan Carver |
Born in Massachusetts in 1710, Jonathan Carver joined the Massachusetts Colonial Militia at the age of 45 at the beginning of the French and Indian War. He worked his way through the ranks (including spending time with Robert Rogers and Roger's Rangers).
Following Britain's victory over France, Carver decided to use the surveying and cartology skills he had acquired during his military experience to chart the northern plains in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage.
A classic of American travel, Carver's kept a detailed journal account of his expedition to discover a Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean, which became the focal point of his writing. These writings of his travels is one of the earliest and best accounts of pre-Revolution exploration. He penetrated farther into the West than any other English explorer before the Revolution.
After failing to find money to publish his journal, Carver went to London. He left his wife and seven children never to see them again. Although his journal was received with praise and popularity, he never received any money for his book and died in poverty...
So let's read a little of his adventures as he takes us to a place known then as New France, but known now as Michigan:
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| November 1767 - Michilimackinac: |
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| Michilimackinac |
The winter setting in soon...I was obliged to tarry there till the June following, the navigation over Lake Huron for large vessels not being open, on account of the ice, till that time. Meeting here with Sociable company, I passed these months very agreeably, and without finding the hours tedious.
It's here where we will speak just a little about winter in Michillimackinac (from the book Colonial Michilimackinac by the Mackinac State Historic Parks):
Throughout most of the long, dreary winter months, Fort Michilimackinac was ice-bound and cut off from communication with the main settlements of Montreal and Quebec, and those who lived there were long without word from "neighboring" posts at Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie. Because of this desolate detachment filled with monotony, it was not a popular post to be stationed at.
Both the Native peoples and the fort residence owned dogs. Dogs were more than pets; they were frequently used to pull small sleds during the winter. When the lakes froze, canoes were useless, but dog sleds could go swiftly over the ice and snow. Dogs even helped haul the massive amounts of firewood needed to keep the residents warm in the winter.
Winters were long and cold, and the residents had to do a great deal of work just to stay warm. They needed fifteen cords of wood (a pile four feet wide, four feet high, and 120 feet long) to keep each fireplace burning.
There was still time for fun. A few of the residents knew how to play the fiddle, and their music enlivened many an evening as people pushed the furniture back against the walls to make room to dance...
Winters were long and cold, and the residents had to do a great deal of work just to stay warm. They needed fifteen cords of wood (a pile four feet wide, four feet high, and 120 feet long) to keep each fireplace burning.
There was still time for fun. A few of the residents knew how to play the fiddle, and their music enlivened many an evening as people pushed the furniture back against the walls to make room to dance...
Now, back to Mr. Carver - - -
One of my chief amusements was that of fishing for trouts. Though the Straits were covered with ice, we found means to make holes thro' it, and letting down strong lines of fifteen yards in length, to which were fixed three or four hooks baited with the small fish before described, we frequently caught two at a time of forty pounds weight each; but the common size is from ten to twenty pounds. These are most delicious food. The method of preserving them during the three months the winter generally lasts, is by hanging them up in the air; and in one night they will be frozen so hard, that they will keep as well as if they were cured with salt.
In June 1768 I left Michillimackinac, and returned in the Gladwyn Schooner, a vessel of about eighty tons burthen (archaic for “burden”), over Lake Huron to Lake St. Claire, where we left the ship, and proceeded in boats to Detroit.
This lake (Huron) is about ninety miles in circumference, and by the way of Huron River, which runs from the south corner of Lake Huron, received the waters of the three great lakes, Superior, Michigan, and Huron. Its form is rather round, and in some places it is deep enough for the navigation of large vessels, but towards the middle of it there is a bar of sand, which prevents those that are loaded from passing over it. Such as are in ballast only may find water sufficient to carry them quite through; the cargoes, however, of such as are freighted must be taken out, and after being transported across the bar in boats, reshipped again.
All these lakes are so affected by the winds, as sometimes to have the appearance of a tide, according as they happen to blow, but this is only temporary and partial.
The fish in Lake Huron are much the same as those in Lake Superior. Some of the land on its banks is very fertile, and proper for cultivation, but in other parts it is sandy and barren. On its banks are found an amazing quantity of the sand cherries, and in the adjacent country are the same fruits as those that grow about the other lakes.
A great number of the Chipeway Indians live scattered around this lake, particularly near Saganaum (Saginaw) Bay. On its banks are found an amazing quantity of the sand cherries, and in the adjacent country nearly the same fruits as those that grow about the other lakes.
The river that runs from lake St. Claire to Lake Erie (or rather the Straight, for thus might be termed from its name) is called Detroit, which is in French, the Straight. It runs nearly south, has a gentle current, and depth of water sufficient for ships of considerable burthen. The town of Detroit is situated on the western banks of this river, about nine miles below Lake St. Claire.
Almost opposite, on the eastern shore, is the village of the ancient Hurons; a tribe of Indians…
The banks of the River Detroit…are covered with settlements that extend more than twenty miles; the country being exceedingly fruitful, and proper for the cultivation of wheat, Indian corn, oats, and peas. It has also many spots of fine pasturage; but as the inhabitants, who are chiefly French that submitted to the English government after the conquest of these parts by General Amherst, are more attentive to the Indian trade than to farming, it is but badly cultivated.
The town of Detroit contains upwards of one hundred houses. The streets are somewhat regular, and have a range of very convenient and handsome barracks, with a spacious parade at the fourth end. On the west side lies the king’s garden belonging to the governor, which is very well laid out and kept in good order. The fortifications of the town consist of a strong stockade made of round piles, fixed firmly in the ground, and lined with palisades. These are defended by some small bastions, on which are mounted a few indifferent cannons of an inconsiderable size, just sufficient for its defence against the Indians, or an enemy not provided with artillery.
The garrison, in time of peace, consists of two hundred men commanded by a field officer, who acts as chief magistrate under the governor of Canada. Mr. Ternbull (actually, George Trumbull), captain of the 60th regiment or Royal Americans, was commandant when I happened to be there. This gentleman was deservedly esteemed and respected both by the inhabitants and traders for the propriety of his conduct…
One of my chief amusements was that of fishing for trouts. Though the Straits were covered with ice, we found means to make holes thro' it, and letting down strong lines of fifteen yards in length, to which were fixed three or four hooks baited with the small fish before described, we frequently caught two at a time of forty pounds weight each; but the common size is from ten to twenty pounds. These are most delicious food. The method of preserving them during the three months the winter generally lasts, is by hanging them up in the air; and in one night they will be frozen so hard, that they will keep as well as if they were cured with salt.
In June 1768 I left Michillimackinac, and returned in the Gladwyn Schooner, a vessel of about eighty tons burthen (archaic for “burden”), over Lake Huron to Lake St. Claire, where we left the ship, and proceeded in boats to Detroit.
This lake (Huron) is about ninety miles in circumference, and by the way of Huron River, which runs from the south corner of Lake Huron, received the waters of the three great lakes, Superior, Michigan, and Huron. Its form is rather round, and in some places it is deep enough for the navigation of large vessels, but towards the middle of it there is a bar of sand, which prevents those that are loaded from passing over it. Such as are in ballast only may find water sufficient to carry them quite through; the cargoes, however, of such as are freighted must be taken out, and after being transported across the bar in boats, reshipped again.
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Map of Michigan in the 1750s.
Note Saganaum (Saginaw) Bay
(click map to enlarge)
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The fish in Lake Huron are much the same as those in Lake Superior. Some of the land on its banks is very fertile, and proper for cultivation, but in other parts it is sandy and barren. On its banks are found an amazing quantity of the sand cherries, and in the adjacent country are the same fruits as those that grow about the other lakes.
A great number of the Chipeway Indians live scattered around this lake, particularly near Saganaum (Saginaw) Bay. On its banks are found an amazing quantity of the sand cherries, and in the adjacent country nearly the same fruits as those that grow about the other lakes.
The river that runs from lake St. Claire to Lake Erie (or rather the Straight, for thus might be termed from its name) is called Detroit, which is in French, the Straight. It runs nearly south, has a gentle current, and depth of water sufficient for ships of considerable burthen. The town of Detroit is situated on the western banks of this river, about nine miles below Lake St. Claire.
Almost opposite, on the eastern shore, is the village of the ancient Hurons; a tribe of Indians…
The banks of the River Detroit…are covered with settlements that extend more than twenty miles; the country being exceedingly fruitful, and proper for the cultivation of wheat, Indian corn, oats, and peas. It has also many spots of fine pasturage; but as the inhabitants, who are chiefly French that submitted to the English government after the conquest of these parts by General Amherst, are more attentive to the Indian trade than to farming, it is but badly cultivated.
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Map of Detroit 1763 - just five years before
this narrative was written
Click to enlarge |
The garrison, in time of peace, consists of two hundred men commanded by a field officer, who acts as chief magistrate under the governor of Canada. Mr. Ternbull (actually, George Trumbull), captain of the 60th regiment or Royal Americans, was commandant when I happened to be there. This gentleman was deservedly esteemed and respected both by the inhabitants and traders for the propriety of his conduct…
Aside from his writings on a 1763 insurrection known as Chief Pontiac's Rebellion, describing a Native American uprising against the British (including the attacks on Fort Detroit) just after the close of the French and Indian Wars, this is where Carver's descriptions of Detroit ends, and he begins his next observances as he moves toward Lake Erie and other spots eastward.
I plan to write about Pontiac's Rebellion in a future blog post.
As a historian, these morsels describing times past are true gems. When history is taught in school, rarely does the teacher illustrate the environment in which those from the past are living. Instead, most educators tend to describe them using modern ideology. Such an abomination! To me, it is of utmost importance to understanding the past in their terms, not ours. Rather than condemnation of our forebears, we can, instead, understand their whys and wherefores. Rather than placing our modern thought upon those from another time, we can learn of their surroundings, their fears, their habitat...their circumstances...like a far off land, the past is a foreign place. And to fully grasp previous times one must view the full color picture, and not just a few old black & white snapshots, as what tends to be occurring today.
Until next time, see you in time...
For more Michigan history:
Finding the oldest structures in Michigan - click HERE
Stories on early Michigan - click HERE
When Thomas Edison rode the rails from Port Huron to Detroit - click HERE
Detroit, from 1701 through the early 20th century - a social history - click HERE
A history of Michigan's Taverns - click HERE
Detroit during the War of 1812 - click HERE
As a historian, these morsels describing times past are true gems. When history is taught in school, rarely does the teacher illustrate the environment in which those from the past are living. Instead, most educators tend to describe them using modern ideology. Such an abomination! To me, it is of utmost importance to understanding the past in their terms, not ours. Rather than condemnation of our forebears, we can, instead, understand their whys and wherefores. Rather than placing our modern thought upon those from another time, we can learn of their surroundings, their fears, their habitat...their circumstances...like a far off land, the past is a foreign place. And to fully grasp previous times one must view the full color picture, and not just a few old black & white snapshots, as what tends to be occurring today.
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The photographs of Michilimackinac were taken in
August 2020 by Larissa Fleishman.
Thank you for allowing me to use them!
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Until next time, see you in time...
For more Michigan history:
Finding the oldest structures in Michigan - click HERE
Stories on early Michigan - click HERE
When Thomas Edison rode the rails from Port Huron to Detroit - click HERE
Detroit, from 1701 through the early 20th century - a social history - click HERE
A history of Michigan's Taverns - click HERE
Detroit during the War of 1812 - click HERE
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