1. Michigan Geography and Early History
Geography
Early People
The French Experience
French and Indian War

2. Michigan History

3. Map of Thomas
Jefferson’s plan
for the division
of states West
of Appalachia.

5. What Region is Michigan Located In?
• Midwest
• Mideast
• East North Central – according to Dept. of
Commerce
• Great Lakes – Many college regional's are called the
Great Lakes Region
• Eastern – As in the Detroit Pistons Conference and
the Eastern Time Zone
• Central – As in the Detroit Lions Conference
• Mid-American – as in the Mid-American
Conference (MAC)

6. Today’s Plan
• Jumpstart Assignment
– What does this picture tell you about Michigan’s first
people? (Write your answer in
your notebook)
• Notes: Michigan’s Early
People
• Assignment: The Early
Residents

7. Michigan – What’s with the name?
• Comes from two native Algonquian words:
– Michi – meaning “great or big”
– Gama – meaning “lake”
• The term first came into use by the French in
1681 in reference to Lac de Michigami or (Lake
Michigan)
• Michigania was actually first the proposed
name for a territory in present day northern
Wisconsin and the southwest Upper Peninsula.

8. Native Peoples of Michigan
• The First Natives of Michigan were known as
Paleo-Indians who are believed to have
migrated from Russia
in 12000 B.C.

9. Historical Periods
• Archaic Period – 8000 B.C. – 1000 B.C. - glaciers
recede to the north giving rise to hardwood
forests in the south
• Woodland Period – 1000 B.C. – A.D. 1650 –
Agriculture begins to flourish

10. The Mound Builders
300 B.C. – A.D. 500
• Built conical mounds for
ceremonies and funerals.
• Traded with natives from the west.
Archaeologists know they traded because of the
artifacts left behind were similar to those in
other parts of Michigan and the Rocky
Mountains.

13. Jumpstart Assignment
• How did the French
colonists change the
lives of Indians living
in Michigan?

14. The French Experience
• Etienne Brule – in 1622 became the first
European to make contact with Anishnabeg
(Ojibway) in present day Sault St. Marie.
– Sent by Samuel De Champlain (Governor of
New France) in search of the Northwest
Passage
– Brule ended up living with the Huron to
learn their way of life.

15. The French: Furs and Fortune
• Why did they come?
– Riches, unsaved souls, imperial control,
geographical knowledge and adventure.
• What did they do when they got here?
– Traded manufactured goods for furs, often at
a 600-700% profit margin.
– Settled in Detroit, St. Joseph,
Michilimackinac, and Sault St. Marie.
– In 1750, only 500 Frenchmen lived in Detroit,
they’re largest settlement

16. The French and the Indians
• Manufactured goods (guns, knives, kettles, and
clothes) from the French initially raised their
standard of living.
• Indians began trapping for fur rather than food.
• Alcohol is introduced to Indians.
– Made drunken Indians easier to exploit, and was
rapidly consumed, leaving a continual demand.
• European diseases decimate many Indian
populations.

17. French Forts in
and around
Michigan
French and English in 1650.

18. Today’s Plan
Jumpstart Assignment French and English in 1650.
Based on this
map, where would you
expect the conflict
between France and
Great Britain to take
place? Why?
Notes: The French and
Indian War
Timeline: Early Michigan
History

19. Where did the French go?
• Throughout the 1600’s, the Iroquois
(natives of New York) send raiding parties
to the Michigan region.
–Constant conflict cause the French to
lose interest.
• During King William’s War (1689-1697),
Iroquois lose many warriors.
–1701 French again repopulate Detroit
(led by Cadillac) and Michilimackinac.

20. The French and Indian War (1754-1760)
• Mostly fought in New York
• France better army • England better
• 80,000 people navy
• Had better leaders • 1,500,000 people
• Got along with • Iroquois
each other Confederacy – a six
tribe alliance that
• Indian allies (many
hated the French
from Michigan)
• Varied economy

21. 1760 End of War
• British capture Quebec in 1759, and Montreal
in 1760, and New France comes to its end.
• November 29, 1760
– British captured Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit)
– For 60 years it had belonged to France
• 1763 Treaty of Paris officially ended war
between France and England
• Proclamation of 1763
– The British promise Indians the land west of
Appalachian Mountains

23. Michigan Early History to 1763 - Timeline
• Paleo-Indians reach North America
• Archaic Period
• Woodland Period
• Mound Builders
• Huron, Ojibway, Pottawatami Natives live in Michigan all
alone
• Etienne Brule is the first European to come to Michigan
• French Fur Trade in Michigan
• French flee because of Iroquois Raids
• French return to Michigan forts for fur trade again
• French and Indian War
• Treaty of Paris ends conflict between the French and
British

24. Map of
Michigan
Counties