Hide Article Text (OCR)
jng creek. 0jLittle Fort was built by the -nc French soldiers, presumably in ^ 1717, when the. “chain of little ^ lorts” was built as La Salle had advised many years before. waAt first it was primarily a cen- ^ tral point for traders, with but ^ a few soldiers to impress the lQc Indians, and offer a token pro- ^ lection for the French. Later, as kn the French government’s license lee system for traders was put in effect, the little posts at Chicago, ,Waukegan and Trement were manned by one officer and about10 men. ..Contact British TradersWith the higher prices demand- ^ed for trade goods because of the license system, the Indians all along the end of the lake started ^ drifting southward to contact' British traders, who were enabled r to undersell the French.A post and fort was founded at Vincennes in 1830, which became the headquarters for the tiny outposts scattered far into the interior. The French were then '%■ trying to persuade the Weas and the Miamis to return to the Lake Michigan region, and promised a missionary at some of the little forts, but in 1732 an epidemic of small pox broke out all through the area, extending from the Wabash to the Miami, 'An extract from the Ouiatanonidocuments said: “The Miamis d were not the only victims. The IWeas came, to the number of 130, to dance at the Calumet and almost all are dead.”The area around the lake shore jin Porter county was called the “Great. Council Ground” in 1750. The similar area in LaPorte county, where Michigan City is now, was called “Council Grove.” Confusion Results Early historians had a tendency to accept the two names as being one and the same place, and as a result there was once a theory that Little Fort was in LaPorte t county. 1The “Great Council Ground” g -Y(Continued on page 3, column 7) I
Newspaper Details
Valparaiso Vidette Messenger
Valparaiso, Indiana, US
Tue, May 21, 1957
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Lake C.
IN, USA 06 Jun 2022
Other Publications Near Valparaiso, Indiana
Valparaiso Vidette Messenger
Valparaiso Torch
Valparaiso Porter County Vidette
