It Almost Began Here: the Huron River in the War of 1812

Daniel Harrison Henry Ford Community College

State of the Huron Conference 2014 Washtenaw Community College April 24, 2014 Bellin’s Atlas (1744)

Clinton R.

Kalamazoo R.?

Raisin R.

No Rouge, Ecorse, or Huron River Downriver Area in 1764

Brownstown Creek “Prairie Mouillé”

“Rivière aux Hurons” Hugh Heward’s Journey (1790) Huron River as a Route to the Interior  Heward’s 1790 route didn’t lead to regular long‐ distance trade use  Preferred route remained Maumee –St Joseph Rivers  Huron River used primarily by Native Americans  Brownstown (aka Sindathon’s Village), at mouth of Huron River—a Wyandot stronghold  Crossroads of Huron River with shoreline path  Site of multi‐tribal councils beginning 1786  Accessibility from Michigan interior and Canada  Distant from both Detroit and Frenchtown "The Western Territory " (1805) Jefferson’s Vision

 Access to Louisiana Purchase  Mississippi/Missouri Rivers . Upper Great Lakes

 Land Routes to interior . Concede control of Great Lakes . Military Road system

 American settlement along frontier, shoreline General William Hull, Governor of Michigan Territory 1805‐1812

 Mission from Jefferson  “Extinction” of Indian claim to shoreline (6 mile right‐of‐way) . Treaty of Detroit (1807) . Treaty of Brownstown (1808)  Survey & build supply road from Ohio to Mackinac . Survey reached Saginaw in 1808 . Road remained unfunded by Congress until 1812 Hull’s Trace, June‐July 1812 Resistance: a new Confederation

Shawnee War Chief Tenskwatawa, Tecumseh the Shawnee Prophet Battle Lines, 1812 Hubert Lacroix’s Dilemma

“I have received your orders for working on the road. The greatest difficulty that we shall experience on that point is for the want of tools… “So soon as I will receive your answer, I will quit the stockade and go to work on the roads” (Lacroix to Witherell, 15 June 1812) Lacroix’s Dilemma, cont’d

“I have not been able to find the road exactly in the place laid out by the Commissioners, but according to the best information that I have been able to obtain, we are nearly in the same course.” (Lacroix to Witherell, 26 June 1812) Help is On the Way…

Detroit, 22nd June, 1812. To Hubert Lacroix, Captain, River Raisin

By a letter which I have received from General Hull of the 14th inst., he will be at the Rapids about the 26th inst., with about 2,300 troops… so as to enable the work on the road to be pursued with vigor. Let it be well done. The sound of Ohio axes will soon strike your ear from the southwest....

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. Witherell, Maj. Comd. The Finished Product The Axe Falls: August 5, 1812 Detroit Monguagon

Rivière aux The River Road Canards (aka “the Line of Least Resistance” Fort Malden Brownstown Post‐1812: Westward Expansion  Road fortified under Alexander Macomb  Wyandot of Brownstown & Monguagon . Relocate to Flat Rock & Ontario  Erie Canal opens (1825), settlement grows  Renamings (anything but Hull’s Road!) . Great Military Road . U.S. Highway . Dixie Highway . Jefferson Avenue Huron River crossing in 1817

Wyandot village?

Corduroy Ferryman’s Segment house?

Anderson (1817) Aerial View (2010)

Corduroy Segment

N Changes

 Huron River rerouted between 1817 and 1910  Archaeological potential‐ Ferry

1812 Bridge, 1817 Ferry

Post‐1910 Bridge Bridged again, ca. 1910 Hull’s Trace, today August 5, 2012 Thank You! Acknowledgements  Michigan War of 1812 Bicentennial Commemoration Commission  Brownstown Historical Society  Henry Ford Community College  State Historic Preservation Office  Brownstown Township  Wayne State University