Fort de Buade
Encyclopedia
Fort de Buade was a French
fort at the present site of St. Ignace
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. It was garrisoned between 1683 and 1701.
, S.J. in 1671. By 1680 it had become a considerable community consisting of the mission, a French village of a dozen cabins, a walled Huron Indian town and an adjacent Ottawa town, also walled. In 1681, the assassination of the Seneca chief Annanhac by the Huron and Illiniwek at Saint Ignace warned the French that this community bore watching. Sharp practice by the fur traders also caused tensions. In 1683, Governor Antoine le Febvre de La Barre ordered Daniel Greysolon Du Luth and Olivier Morel de La Durantaye to establish a strategic presence on the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac
, where Lake Michigan
and Lake Huron
come together. They fortified the Jesuit mission and La Durantaye settled in as overall commander of the French forts in the northwest: Fort Saint Louis des Illinois (Utica, Illinois), Fort Kaministigoya (Thunder bay, Ontario), and Fort la Tourette (Lake Nipigon, Ontario). He was also responsible for the region around Green Bay.
In the spring of 1684, La Durantaye led a relief expedition from Saint Ignace to Fort Saint Louis des Illinois which had been besieged by the Seneca. That summer and again in 1687, La Durantaye led coureurs de bois and Indians from the straits against the Seneca homeland in upper state New York. During these years, English traders from New York penetrated the Great Lakes and traded at Michilimackinac. This, and the outbreak of war between England and France in 1689 led to the construction of Fort de Buade in 1690 by the new commandant Louis de La Porte de Louvigny.
sent an aggressive young protege, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, to run the post. Cadillac made a small fortune as the post commander, possibly by collecting bribes. In 1697, the Huron chief Kondiaronk
from Michilimackinac led an attack on the Seneca on Lake Erie which resulted in a crushing victory and dashed the Iroquois' hopes for victory against the French. Four years later, Kondiaronk took a leading role in forging the Great Peace of Montreal which would conclude the war.
Relations between the fort and the adjacent Jesuit mission were not good during Cadillac's tenure. La Durantaye had ruled Michilimackinac with a firm hand. He controlled the trade in brandy, policed the fur trade, and kept the traders in line. An honest man, he would spend the last years of his life in relative poverty. Cadillac did not trouble himself with this sort of thing. In fact, much of the alcohol at the post was actually supplied by Cadillac himself. The missionaries, led by Etienne de Carheil
, accused Cadillac of encouraging the sale and trading of brandy
to the Native Americans. Cadillac may have seen this move as a necessary tactic to check the English traders. In any case, it was a necessary tactic in his own financial plans.
Despite Cadillac's liquor trade, Anglo-French commercial competition continued. Cadillac was replaced as commandant by Alphonse Tonti, brother of the explorer Henri Tonti. In 1701, Cadillac asked permission from Paris to found a new post on the Detroit River, to interdict the flow of British trade goods into the Lake Huron area. The Fort de Buade garrison helped give birth to the future city of Detroit.
The 1690-1701 Fort de Buade was probably a wooden stockade
. It is believed to have been located on a site within the current municipality of St. Ignace, possibly on a hill above Moran Bay locally called "Fort Hill." The fort could also have been located on the bay's waterfront. the fort's remains had not yet been identified.
no doubt continued during this period. In 1715 a French detachment under Marchand de Lignery re-established a presence at the Straits of Mackinac in preparation for a war against the Fox nation in Wisconsin (Fox Wars
). The new post, called Fort Michilimackinac
, was raised on the south shore of the Straits near the present location of Mackinaw City, Michigan. Most of the Hurons had gone south to Detroit with Cadillac in 1701. The Ottawas moved from Moran Bay to the new fort and the Saint Ignace area was largely abandoned until the nineteenth century.
French colonization of the Americas
The French colonization of the Americas began in the 16th century, and continued in the following centuries as France established a colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere. France founded colonies in much of eastern North America, on a number of Caribbean islands, and in South America...
fort at the present site of St. Ignace
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It was garrisoned between 1683 and 1701.
The mission
The French-Canadian settlement at St. Ignace began with the Mission of Saint Ignace, founded by Father Jacques MarquetteJacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
, S.J. in 1671. By 1680 it had become a considerable community consisting of the mission, a French village of a dozen cabins, a walled Huron Indian town and an adjacent Ottawa town, also walled. In 1681, the assassination of the Seneca chief Annanhac by the Huron and Illiniwek at Saint Ignace warned the French that this community bore watching. Sharp practice by the fur traders also caused tensions. In 1683, Governor Antoine le Febvre de La Barre ordered Daniel Greysolon Du Luth and Olivier Morel de La Durantaye to establish a strategic presence on the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
, where Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
and Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
come together. They fortified the Jesuit mission and La Durantaye settled in as overall commander of the French forts in the northwest: Fort Saint Louis des Illinois (Utica, Illinois), Fort Kaministigoya (Thunder bay, Ontario), and Fort la Tourette (Lake Nipigon, Ontario). He was also responsible for the region around Green Bay.
In the spring of 1684, La Durantaye led a relief expedition from Saint Ignace to Fort Saint Louis des Illinois which had been besieged by the Seneca. That summer and again in 1687, La Durantaye led coureurs de bois and Indians from the straits against the Seneca homeland in upper state New York. During these years, English traders from New York penetrated the Great Lakes and traded at Michilimackinac. This, and the outbreak of war between England and France in 1689 led to the construction of Fort de Buade in 1690 by the new commandant Louis de La Porte de Louvigny.
Fort de Buade at St. Ignace
During the 1690s, the fort became a staging area for French and Indian attacks against the Seneca, allied to the English. It remained an important fur trading center and a distribution point for arms and munitions for the war against the Iroquois. In 1694 Governor FrontenacLouis de Buade de Frontenac
Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698...
sent an aggressive young protege, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, to run the post. Cadillac made a small fortune as the post commander, possibly by collecting bribes. In 1697, the Huron chief Kondiaronk
Kondiaronk
Kondiaronk , known by the French as "Le Rat", was one of the most successful Canadian Indian war chiefs of the late 17th century....
from Michilimackinac led an attack on the Seneca on Lake Erie which resulted in a crushing victory and dashed the Iroquois' hopes for victory against the French. Four years later, Kondiaronk took a leading role in forging the Great Peace of Montreal which would conclude the war.
Relations between the fort and the adjacent Jesuit mission were not good during Cadillac's tenure. La Durantaye had ruled Michilimackinac with a firm hand. He controlled the trade in brandy, policed the fur trade, and kept the traders in line. An honest man, he would spend the last years of his life in relative poverty. Cadillac did not trouble himself with this sort of thing. In fact, much of the alcohol at the post was actually supplied by Cadillac himself. The missionaries, led by Etienne de Carheil
Étienne de Carheil
Étienne de Carheil was a French Jesuit priest who became a missionary to the Iroquois and Huron Indians in the New World. He served as the chief Jesuit missionary to the Native Americans of the Straits of Mackinac area from 1686 until about 1702...
, accused Cadillac of encouraging the sale and trading of brandy
Brandy
Brandy is a spirit produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35%–60% alcohol by volume and is typically taken as an after-dinner drink...
to the Native Americans. Cadillac may have seen this move as a necessary tactic to check the English traders. In any case, it was a necessary tactic in his own financial plans.
Despite Cadillac's liquor trade, Anglo-French commercial competition continued. Cadillac was replaced as commandant by Alphonse Tonti, brother of the explorer Henri Tonti. In 1701, Cadillac asked permission from Paris to found a new post on the Detroit River, to interdict the flow of British trade goods into the Lake Huron area. The Fort de Buade garrison helped give birth to the future city of Detroit.
The 1690-1701 Fort de Buade was probably a wooden stockade
Stockade
A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide security.-Stockade as a security fence:...
. It is believed to have been located on a site within the current municipality of St. Ignace, possibly on a hill above Moran Bay locally called "Fort Hill." The fort could also have been located on the bay's waterfront. the fort's remains had not yet been identified.
The successor fort near Mackinaw City
Between 1701 and 1715 there was no official French-Canadian presence at the Straits of Mackinac, although unlicensed fur trading by coureurs des boisCoureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
no doubt continued during this period. In 1715 a French detachment under Marchand de Lignery re-established a presence at the Straits of Mackinac in preparation for a war against the Fox nation in Wisconsin (Fox Wars
Fox Wars
The Fox Wars were two 18th-century wars between the Fox Indians and the French , which occurred in territories that are now the states of Michigan and Wisconsin, U.S.A.. The First Fox War broke out with the French when the Fox numbered some 3,500. After the Second Fox War , the remaining 1,500...
). The new post, called Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower...
, was raised on the south shore of the Straits near the present location of Mackinaw City, Michigan. Most of the Hurons had gone south to Detroit with Cadillac in 1701. The Ottawas moved from Moran Bay to the new fort and the Saint Ignace area was largely abandoned until the nineteenth century.