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Fort Mackilimackinac |
Fort Michilimackinac was built by the French on the south shore of the Straits of Mackinac in approximately 1715. Previously, the French presence in the area had moved from St. Ignace to Detroit, which led to reduced French occupation in the area. Several years later, as the French sought to expand the fur trade, they built a trading fort, Fort Michilimackinac, to re-establish a French presence in the Straits area.
Fort Michilimackinac was both strategically located and heavily fortified. The fort was built primarily as a link in the French trade system, which extended from Montreal through the Great Lakes region and northwest to Lake Winnipeg and beyond. Overlooking the Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, the fort served as a supply post for French traders operating in the western Great Lakes region and as a primary stopping-off point between Montreal and the western country.
Fort Michilimackinac was an island of French presence on the frontier from which the French carried out the fur trade, sought alliances with native peoples, and protected their interests against the colonial ambitions of other European nations.
In 1761, the French relinquished Fort Michilimackinac to the British after the British victory in the French and Indian War. Under the British, the fort continued to serve as a major fur trading facility. The Ottawa and Chippewa tribes in the area found British policies harsh compared to those of the French, and they resented the British takeover. In 1763, a group of Chippewa attacked and killed most of the British occupants of the fort. The use of Fort Michilimackinac came to an end in 1781 when the British abandoned the post and moved to Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island.
The homes people lived in were commonly made of logs and were quite comfortable. They were one and one-half story homes, with dormer windows overlooking the street, and a large stone fireplace provided heat and a fire for cooking. There were either one or two rooms on the main floor, consisting of a large kitchen and sitting room. The attic space was used for sleeping. There was a minimum of furniture. The roofs were either thatch or wood, so the house was quite warm in the winter. The houses had adjoining vegetable gardens, which were well-tended.
It was necessary to maintain good relationships with the local Indians, and Jacques Philippe worked very closely with the Indians at the fort. He was an interpreter for any of the French or British people coming to the fort who needed to communicate with the local Indians. It was said that Jacques had married twice, and that his second wife was a Chippewa woman. However, according to the archival records in Quebec, Josette died after Jacques, so this could not have been possible. Jacques and Josette, and their oldest daughter, were listed in many of the marriage, birth and death records of the area (included in the collections of the Wisconsin State Historical Society). They attended many baptisms, and were usually godparents to one of the local Indian people who were baptised. They seemed to have played a large role in the religious society of the area at that time.
Jacques was associated with Charles Michael Langlade during the war and was credited with aiding in the French struggle. Langlade was a pioneer in present-day Wisconsin and a soldier. He was the son of a trader, Augustine Langlade, who established the settlement of Green Bay. His mother was an Ottawa woman. During the French and Indians Wars, he was allied with the French and led the Native American force that helped defeat the British army in 1755 and 1757. He served in the Quebec campaign under Montcalm. Later, after the British victory, he surrendered the fort at Mackinac to the British. Later he became a British citizen. He served on the side of the British during the Revolutionary war; however, he wasn't active in the fighting.
Jacques had good working relationships with the local Indians because he was closely allied to them through his position as interpreter.
Jacques Philippe owned slaves, which had been an accepted practice since the time of Champlain. Slaves were sometimes blacks who were brought to Quebec from Africa via the Caribbean. Most were war captives of the French and their allies, and were commonly referred to as "panis" or Pawnee. These "panis" slaves were preferred and came from many different tribes, even the Inuit. They were most commonly purchased for domestic service. Some were permitted to marry and a few were granted freedom. In general, though, their lives were harsh and brief.
Jacques and Josette were Catholic, as were the majority of the French Canadians at that time. The colony was closed to Protestants before the British administration, and when the British took over, they kept intact the French laws and traditions. The French Canadians were very religious people, and lived everyday of their lives according to the Catholic criteria at that time in Quebec. The clergy didn't live in the rural areas, but there were a few travelling priests who attended to the religious needs of the rural population. Their teachings were strict but priests seldom enforced them. The rural area population was massively illiterate, and as many of the courier-de-bois were from habitant (farmer) stock, they probably were illiterate as well.
