Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 8-2007 Land Use and Settlement Patterns in Michigan, 1763-1837 Ray De Bruler Jr. Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Bruler, Ray De Jr., "Land Use and Settlement Patterns in Michigan, 1763-1837" (2007). Dissertations. 838. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/838 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LAND USE AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN MICHIGAN, 1763-1837 by Ray De Bruler, Jr. A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History Dr. Jose A. Brandao, Advisor Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LAND USE AND SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN MICHIGAN, 1763-1837 Ray De Bruler, Jr., Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 2007 This dissertation examines various types of land use practices and settlement patterns from the end of the French era through statehood at Detroit, the Straits of Mackinac and the St. Joseph River Valley. In addition, this work describes a series of land ordinances, treaties, land office practices and acts and demonstrates how they shaped, or tried to shape, the ways people viewed the land and what they did with it. Michigan is an excellent case study for analyzing land use because it was the point of interaction among three distinct cultural and political groups, French, British and American, and each of those groups viewed land and land use differently. The French tended to settle the land lightly, focusing on trace, Indian alliances and missionary activity. The British constructed and expanded fortifications in an attempt to hold onto the land and the Americans focused on migration and agriculture. This dissertation’s conclusion is that at each site local conditions, while influenced by French, British and American land laws, played roles in determining how residents would shape the landscape. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 3275955 Copyright 2007 by De Bruler, Ray, Jr. All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3275955 Copyright 2007 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Copyright by Ray De Bruler, Jr. 2007 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My interest in Michigan history dates back to childhood. My family vacationed at the Straits of Mackinac too many times to count and each trip had to include a visit to Fort Michilimackinac where I watched archaeological digs and enjoyed the cannon and musket firings. Fort Mackinac, across the Straits, was a special treat that generally included a healthy dose of fudge. Even as an adult, I cannot seem to visit the forts often enough. This dissertation is a result of those vacations. The writing process can be a solitary endeavor, but a dissertation is not written in a vacuum and there are many people who helped me along the way. I want to thank my PhD comprehensive examination committee from Western Michigan University, Dr. Jose Brandao, Dr. Linda Borish, Dr. Nora Faires and Dr. Laura Junker, formerly of the WMU Anthropology Department, and now at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Their thorough examination served as a vigorous intellectual warm-up for writing this dissertation. My dissertation committee consisted of Dr. Jose Brandao, Dr. Cheryl Lyon-Jenness, Dr. Lynne Heasley in the History Department and Dr. Michael Nassaney in the Anthropology Department. Dr. Brandao served as chair of both committees and has always been a reliable source of advice, sympathy and criticism. This dissertation could not have been completed without him. Dr. Nassaney gave me tours of the Fort St. Joseph archaeological site and met ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments—continued with me regularly to discuss the dig’s progress. Dr. Heasley and Dr. Lyon-Jenness have discussed with me not only the topic of this dissertation, but also the whole scope of history and the teaching of history. There are others in the History Department whose help has been invaluable. They include Candy List and Brenda Brewer for patiently answering my administrative questions; Dr. Marion Gray, Department Chair, for giving me guidance and keeping me gainfully employed; Dr. Robert Berkhofer III for administering the most difficult French exam of my life to satisfy the University’s foreign language requirement; Dr. Peter Schmitt for his teaching and writing advice; Dr. Judith Stone and Dr. Larry Simon for shepherding me through the at-times-too-opaque-Graduate Student Catalogue; and Dr. Catherine Julien, and the late Dr. Tom Amos for being there when I had questions. The staff at Waldo Library have been more than helpful. I want to thank Dr. Sharon Carlson and the staff at the Regional History Archives at WMU for tracking down so much information for me. And thanks to Sharon for the fun and informative conversations. Tom Dietz of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and Frank Sampsell at the Kalamazoo County Courthouse gave me valuable leads in my quest to find land records for Berrien County. Michelle Hill and Dr. Lynn Evans of the Mackinac Island State Historic Parks Commission spent much time with me discussing Fort Michilimackinac. Michelle has been a constant source of advice, and her knowledge of the holdings at the Peterson Center at Mackinaw City seems infinite. And I want to thank Dr. Evans for the personal tour of the archaeological sites at the fort. Dr. iii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Acknowledgments—continued Katherine Joslin, my former boss at the WMU Program of American Studies, has been most supportive of my research and teaching interests. She constantly asked questions about my research and pushed me to write. Fellow graduate students in the History Department David Bird, Joshua Cochran, Sarah Townsend, Genoveva Gallardo-Garcia, and Dale Winling provided support and encouragement during our enlightening and lively Tuesday afternoon lunches. Thank you to Tracy Hall, my officemate at the Program of American Studies for reading portions of my dissertation proposal. The late Dr. Richard Goff of Eastern Michigan University guided me through the M. A. program and also became a good friend and mentor, while the late Chad Rounds, lawyer, musician and friend, encouraged me to pursue the PhD. They are greatly missed. Jamie and Carrie Voris and Jeff Voris have also been encouraging and patient while I pursued this degree. I cannot thank enough Kristen Arntzen and Jean-Luc DeBruler for their eternal patience and understanding. And, last but not least, I want to thank my parents, Ray and Carolyn, for taking me to Mackinaw City and letting me run loose through the fort. Ray De Bruler, Jr. iv Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.......................................................................................... ii LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES..................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW.............................................................................. 7 Michigan History: Past and Present .............................................. 7 General Works ................................................................................ 8 The French Era to 1763.................................................................. 11 The British Era: 1760-1796........................................................... 22 The American Era: 1796-1837 ....................................................... 26 Endnotes .......................................................................................... 37 III. LAND POLICIES.........................................................................................