Early French Trading Posts, etc.

[Red Owl]

I've been reading, "The Time of the French in the Heart of North America" 1673-1818. By Charles J. Balesi. 346 pages. Really an excellent book. It covers Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. The early French explorers, all the French settlements and trading posts, Very good.

 

[Thagomizer]

That's a fascinating period of history. I lived for awhile in Bourbonnais Illinois- there are still a lot of old French names there.
Now I live in Michigan and several sites here also.

 

[Red Owl]

Well I think a lot of Americans, myself included, had no idea of the French influence. I can't believe the number a places founded by them. They weren't the colonists that the English were. This book says that life for a lot in England was so bad that they came to America and it was the Americans more that England proper, that spread across the Continent. None the less, wherever we went, it seems the French were there before us, even if just a small fur trading post or portage trail.

 

[Uncle Miltie]

As late as the early 1800's the French would "visit" the US from the north to trap furs, hunt, and kill and rob American trappers.

 

[French Colonial]

One of the most fascinating books you will ever read is "The Forgotten Colony" "Le Pays Des Illinois" by Winstanley Briggs, if you can find a copy.

It uses the Kaskaskia manuscripts to flesh out what life was like in the md 1700's, material culture (what they had from inventories) what they grew (how they kept New Orleans from starving more than once) insight into the fur trade, The first cattle drive west of the Mississippi (Supplying the French forts in Arkansas) and their matriarchal culture which allowed women who lost husbands to become quite wealthy for the time period. Lots and lots of things you never knew.

Also Dr. Margaret Kimball Brown has several books that are much easier to find on the French in the area.

 

[Salt River Johnny]

I'm going to put a plug in here ..
I have a face book.site called
"The Mud lark mess".
I cover early Missouri history pre 1865. Please check it out. There is alot of research I have done on the French in Missouri and on the Mississippi River.
Check it out. Really great information.
Thank you
Salt River Johnny

 

[French Colonial]

I'm going to put a plug in here ..
I have a face book.site called
"The Mud lark mess".
I cover early Missouri history pre 1865. Please check it out. There is alot of research I have done on the French in Missouri and on the Mississippi River.
Check it out. Really great information.
Thank you
Salt River Johnny

I will, thanks!

 

[user 31232]

The Feast of the Hunters Moon celebrates the French influence in northern Indiana. Located in Lafayette Indiana along the banks of the Wabash river. A replica block house Fort Ouiatenon a fur trading outpost is there. This year 2023 dates are October7 and 8. Check it out!

 

[Red Owl]

Well, I may be taking a road trip this Summer through Lafayette, Was going to see Tippecanoe site- is Fort Ouiatenon in the same place?

Some thoughts. The European Governments, France, Spain, England didn't seem to value colonization of their own people. We usually just say France and Spain but actually I think with England, the people came to America regardless of the Crown and it was the American English colonialist that pushed west. The European Crowns wanted profits (gold, fur, etc.) In any event I'm just beginning to appreciate the French explorers. They did a great job- it's not their fault not much came of their work from their own country. I never realized before that a huge amount of the settlements were originally French. Some of their settlements (posts, Forts) used Indian Names- just like we do so in some instances, I had no idea the French were there first.
The French ran things from Quebec and New Orleans which put Illinois, etc. at the ends of either center of operations and yet Illinois was actually central to their holding North America and they didn't seem to realize it.

 

[Bushfire]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will try to track it down. I'm fascinated by the french period in North America from my french ancestry.

It shouldn't be any wonder that the French were spread throughout many parts of the continent. They did start settling in the first half of the 16th century. Though it wasn't really until the time of de Champlain at the end of the 16th - early 17th century that it started taking root.

 

[French Colonial]

Well, I may be taking a road trip this Summer through Lafayette, Was going to see Tippecanoe site- is Fort Ouiatenon in the same place?

Some thoughts. The European Governments, France, Spain, England didn't seem to value colonization of their own people. We usually just say France and Spain but actually I think with England, the people came to America regardless of the Crown and it was the American English colonialist that pushed west. The European Crowns wanted profits (gold, fur, etc.) In any event I'm just beginning to appreciate the French explorers. They did a great job- it's not their fault not much came of their work from their own country. I never realized before that a huge amount of the settlements were originally French. Some of their settlements (posts, Forts) used Indian Names- just like we do so in some instances, I had no idea the French were there first.
The French ran things from Quebec and New Orleans which put Illinois, etc. at the ends of either center of operations and yet Illinois was actually central to their holding North America and they didn't seem to realize it.

They thought Illinois was going to be important and that is why they built the very impressive third fort of stone, Fort de Chartres. However the war was lost in the north east and France was defeated with out Fort de Chartres ever being attacked. Lots of culture being lost.

 

[TraderVic]

I'm amazed at the history of the French Voyagers who transported material goods through the Great Lakes, into the interior U.S. & Canada, and returning with fur to the east.
Phenomenal how hard they worked and what they accomplished.

 

[Red Owl]

The Spanish were in Pensacola, the French in La Mobile, Biloxi, New Orleans, Natchez, Arkansas Post, etc. up the Mississippi then the Wisconsin River/Fox River to Green Bay or Illinois River/ Chicago River to Chicago, or the Kankakee/St. Joseph- South Bend Portage into Lake Michigan. There was Presque Isle (Erie, PA) Allegany River/Ohio River, (Fort Duquesne -Pittsburgh). I had no idea they were that wide spread.

 

[Red Owl]

Some more stuff:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Anne_Hopkins#/media/File:FAHopkins_Shooting_Rapids.jpg
This Frances Anne Hopkins- never heard of her before, wife of HBC factor and she did some painting.

 

[smo]

The French influence on Tennessee…

 

[BullRunBear]

Thanks for the heads up about the book. Just ordered a copy. Part of the interest is from family history since my first ancestors on the continent came to Quebec in the 1630s. Part because I always found the old North West areas interesting.

Jeff

 

[Gopher0]

There were French settlers in Carolina - as early as the 1680s. The French Huguenots that escaped persecution and made their way to England soon found passage to the New World, thanks to William & Mary and Queen Anne. The Huguenots settled in what is now considered to be both North Carolina and South Carolina and they became productive members of the Carolina society. "My ancestor "The Rev. CLAUDE PHILIPPE DE RICHBOURG was one of three French clergymen, who came with the Huguenot colony, about 1711 or 1712, he with a portion of his people planted themselves on the Santee River in South Carolina.

 

[Wawyasto]

Being Potawatomi, this book is relevant to my interests...

Any idea what the differences is between the 2000 printing and the 2014 edition? Amazon had both with about a $60 difference in prices!