Beyond Pontiac’s Shadow : Michilimackinac and the Anglo-Indian War of 1763

360 Pages·2013·20.46 MB·English

by  Widder

Beyond
Pontiac’s
Shadow

Beyond
Pontiac’s
Shadow
Michilimackinac
Anglo-I ndian
and the
War 1763
of
•
keith r. widder
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS · East Lansing
MACKINAC STATE HISTORIC PARKS · Mackinac Island
Copyright © 2013 by Keith R. Widder
i Th e paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of ANSI/
NISO Z39.48-1992 (R 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
p Michigan State University Press
East Lansing, Michigan 48823-5245
Mackinac State Historic Parks
Mackinac Island, MI 49757
Printed and bound in China.
19 18 17 16 15 14 13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
Widder, Keith R.
Beyond Pontiac’s shadow : Michilimackinac and the Anglo-Indian War of 1763 /
Keith R. Widder.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60917-382-1 (ebook)—ISBN 978-1-61186-090-0 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Pontiac’s Conspiracy, 1763–1765. 2. Ojibwa Indians—Wars—Michigan—Fort
Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City) 3. Fort Michilimackinac (Mackinaw City,
Mich.)—History—18th century. 4. Great Britain—Colonies—America—History—
18th century. I. Title.
E83.76.W53 2013
973.2'7—dc23
2012033470
Cover and book design by Charlie Sharp, Sharp Des!gns, Lansing, Michigan
Front cover art is a detail from a 1767 drawing by Jonathan Carver. © Th e British
Library Board (Add.8950. folio 168). Back cover image: “Habit of an Ottawa an
Indian of N America.” Mackinac State Historic Parks Collection (W8.125 H 11.25).
G Michigan State University Press is a member of the Green Press
Initiative and is committed to developing and encouraging
ecologically responsible publishing practices. For more information about the
Green Press Initiative and the use of recycled paper in book publishing, please
visit www.greenpressinitiative.org.
Visit Michigan State University Press at www.msupress.org
In Memory of David A. Armour

contents
ix forewordby Phil Porter
xi acknowledgments
xvii introduction
3 chapter one. Michilimackinac, 1760: At the Heart of North America
31 chapter two. Michilimackinac, 1761: A French-Canadian, Odawa, and Ojibwe Community
55 chapter three. Detroit, 1760–1761: The British Enter the Pays d’en Haut
75 chapter four. Michilimackinac, 1761: British Troops Take Possession of the Fort and the Posts
at La Baye and St. Joseph
95 chapter five. Prelude to War, 1762–1763: Amherst’s Policies, Native Unrest, and the Diplomacy
of Thomas Hutchins and James Gorrell
125 chapter six. Michilimackinac on the Brink, Spring 1763
141 chapter seven. Michilimackinac, Summer 1763: Attack, Exile, Diplomacy, Loss, Repatriation
169 chapter eight. Crown Offi cials Respond to Calamity, Late 1763 and Early 1764
189 chapter nine. Prelude to British Reoccupation of Fort Michilimackinac, 1764
203 chapter ten. The British Return to Michilimackinac, 1764–1765
223 epilogue
225 appendix one. Michilimackinac Families
237 appendix two. Dietrich Brehm’s Reports for 1760 and 1761
253 appendix three. Deeds, December 21, 1760
261 notes
299 bibliography
313 index
foreword
I
n 1978, in commemoration of the bicentennial of deep connections with the community. The British regime
the American Revolutionary War, Dr. David Ar- injected a new and uncomfortable layer of authority that
mour and Keith Widder wrote At the Crossroads, disrupted the relative harmony that existed between their
Michilimackinac During the American Revolution. culturally-accommodating French predecessors and the
Published by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, local tribes. Rising tensions, fueled by a broader Indian re-
this important work provides a thorough and well-written jection of British authority in North America known as “Pon-
examination of that important chapter in Mackinac history tiac’s Rebellion,” exploded in violence at Michilimackinac on
when the fur trade and military community of the Straits of June 2, 1763.
Mackinac moved from the mainland to Mackinac Island. In Dr. Widder brings decades of research and knowledge to
Beyond Pontiac’s Shadow, Michilimackinac and the Anglo-In- the task of sorting out and insightfully telling this complex
dian War of 1763, Dr. Widder provides readers with a greater story of the first chapter of British occupation at the Straits
context and deeper understanding of the British period at of Mackinac. This includes a 30-year career with Mackinac
Michilimackinac by examining the early years of occupation State Historic Parks as a research historian and supervi-
and eff ectively revealing the complex and dramatic interplay sor of interpretive programs at Colonial Michilimackinac.
of the diverse populations that inhabited the community. Much of the primary source material that Dr. Widder used
British fur traders, soldiers and government officials for this project came from the Eugene and Marian Petersen
occupied Michilimackinac soon after the conquest of Archaeology and History Center in Mackinaw City. This
Canada in 1761. While French soldiers departed, much of the collection, much of which was assembled by Dr. Widder,
fur trade society at Michilimackinac remained, including was begun by Dr. Eugene T. Petersen, the first director of
French Canadian and métis residents and the neighbor- Mackinac State Historic Parks and deputy director David A.
ing bands of Ojibwe and Odawa Indians who had long and Armour. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission, under
ix