What country were the Europeans from that founded Detroit?

Question

Native Americans and stuff like that

Answer 1

France. That is where you get names like Gratiot, Lafayette, Allard.

Answer 2

Detroit is located on the watery border between the US and Canada. It really is a melting pot city. Native Americans were displaced by it. There were French people, both from down the Mississippi and from Canada, and then the usual mix of Germans, Irish, English, Northern Europeans and recently many others.

Very few Northern US cities have a very specific underlying culture, such as the French Cajun one in the City that used to be New Orleans.

Answer 3

Native Americans are from America. The French founded Detroit along with their Native American guides. Pontiac was the leader of the Ottawa tribe that lived in the Detroit area - no kidding.

Detroit was founded on the fur trade. It was originally called "Le Detriot: in "New France" The founding father of Detroit was a man named: Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (no joke). He envisioned "Europeanizing" the Native Americans and forming settlements with them to act as a buffer from English expansion from the East coast of America.

Answer 4

France:

In the 1600's, France began establishing forts at strategic locations in North America, in order to try to keep the British from moving west out of New England and to establish a monopoly on trade. Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac felt that the area that had become known as le detroit, or the straits, was an obvious location for a major post. The river was narrow enough that a cannon could be fired from one side to the other, but substantial enough to provide a defense. The surrounding Great Lakes and waterways meant easy travel from most major points. The court in France agreed, and Cadillac was allowed to establish a settlement at the Detroit River in 1701.

Answer 5

Detroit, founded in 1701 by French fur traders.

History of Detroit, Michigan

The History of Detroit, Michigan, began when French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded a fort and settlement at a site, where the modern city currently stands, along the Detroit River in 1701. Originally the settlement was called Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit after the Comte de Pontchartrain, minister of marine under Louis XIV of France, and for the river that connects Lakes St. Clair and Erie. The British gained control of the area in 1760 and thwarted an Indian attack three years later during Pontiac's Rebellion. In 1796 Detroit and its surrounding areas passed to the United States.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Detroit%2C_Michigan


Cadillac - Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Laumet_de_La_Mothe%2C_sieur_de_Cadillac

Pontiac - Chief Pontiac
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Pontiac

Answer 6

Not sure about what tribe of Native Americans were in Detroit, but the settlers of Detroit, originally said as Day twah, were French. In fact, the majority of Michigan settlers were French; Great Lakes = great furs!

Answer 7

Well i'm French and "un detroit" means "a strait" in French, there is no link at all with the number 3(trois in French).
I guess Detroit is not far from the "country" of Quebec where most of the people are proud French speaker...
So it would not surprise me that some French guy discovered the place some centuries ago...

Answer 8

In 1701 Fort Pontchartrain was founded by Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac on the site that today is known as Detroit.
French explorers and fur traders knew of the area, and Cadillac thought that the spot were the straits (the meaning of le detroit) met was a prime location for a fort as the French were establishing forts all through this area to secure their claim to the territory.

Answer 9

I believe that the first Europeans in the Detroit area were from France.

Answer 10

The original founder of Detroit was:
"Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, an energetic and ambitious young man in Canada dreamed of an oasis of French culture in the wilderness. He was a favorite of the wily Count Frontenac, Governor of the French possessions in North America."

Answer 11

France. The French did all of the early exploring around the Great Lakes and controlled the region until the British acquired it after the French and Indian War.