The Historical Recognition of Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable (1745-1818)

The bronze sculpture of Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable created by Erik Blome is titled Explorer.

A bronze bust of Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable that is over eight feet tall was recently moved from the Chicago suburb of Evanston to Mackinaw City, Michigan on the Straits of Mackinac, between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. The sculpture was placed near Fort Michilimackinac, built in 1715 and used first by the French and then the British until the

conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Jean-Baptiste is often recognized as the founder of Chicago, as he is the first non-native person to have settled on the southwest shore of Lake Michigan where it meets the Chicago River.

(The name "Chicago" probably derived from the French version of the indigenous word shikaakwa used to describe the wild onions or garlic that grew in the area.) The sculpture's

creator, Erik Blome, named his work Explorer, and he did not intend for his tribute to Jean-Baptiste to be stationary, but to be a traveling educational exhibit about Jean-Baptiste. So why was this moved more than 400 miles from the Chicago area to the northern tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan?

The choice of this site is understandable when primary sources about Jean-Baptiste's life are examined, as he was arrested by the British in 1779 and held briefly at Fort Michilimackinac as a prisoner during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) due to suspicions about his French and American connections. He was not a typical colonist, as he was born in St. Domingue (now Haiti) in 1745 to an African-Caribbean mother and French father, and educated in France. Jean-Baptiste arrived in Louisiana around 1764-65 with the intention of settling in New Orleans. However, Louisiana had become a Spanish possession in a secret transaction in 1762 when France ceded it to Spain. Jean-Baptiste learned of this after he arrived, and moved northward, apparently with a collection of French art that he had acquired while in France. He met a Potawatomi woman named Kitihawa in Illinois territory, and they were married in a native ceremony. They had a daughter in the late 1760's named Susanne, and they also established a trading post just north of the Chicago River at a time when indigenous people were becoming more dependent on trade for firearms and ammunition. Jean-Baptiste was arrested by the British for the reasons stated above

in 1779, the same year that his son was born, who was named after him.

Jean-Baptiste was then briefly imprisoned at the historic Fort Michilimackinac, where he impressed Patrick Sinclair, the British lieutenant-governor of this region. Sinclair was overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac on nearby Mackinac Island, which had a superior location. Sinclair was impressed by Jean-Baptiste's education and other qualities, which resulted in Jean-Baptiste's release after a few months and his employment at Sinclair's estate at St.Clair, near Detroit. The estate was called The Pines, and it was also a center for trade. According to Britannica, Jean-Baptiste managed the trading post there from about 1780 to 1784, a year after the British surrendered to mark the end of the Revolutionary War. Patrick Sinclair was subsequently investigated by the British, and Jean-Baptiste returned to Chicago. In 1788, Jean-Baptiste and Kitihawa had a second marriage ceremony at Cahokia, Illinois, which was Catholic; at that time, Kitihawa was given the name Catherine. The trading post became highly successful, and historical accounts include descriptions of Jean-Baptiste's collection of art and his apparent prosperity.

Jean-Baptiste's complex of buildings on his homesite included his log cabin, two barns, a bakery, smokehouse, dairy, mill, and poultry house. It is believed that Ktihawa passed away before 1800, when Jean-Baptiste sold all of these structures to an agent representing John Kinzie, and he moved first to Peoria, and then to the St.Charles, Missouri, where he had a license to operate a ferry across the Missouri River. His prosperity did not continue there; around 1813, he apparently made an arrangement with a neighbor, Eulalie Barada, and transferred title of his property to her

in exchange for food, care, repairs to his shelter, and a Catholic burial. He passed away in St. Charles at the age of 73, and was buried at St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery in an unmarked grave. A granite marker was later placed at the approximate location of original burial site.

Jean-Baptiste Point DuSable's historical recognition as the "founder of Chicago" did not occur quickly, possibly because the rapid growth of Chicago as a settlement began after the conclusion of the Black Hawk War in 1832. However, Jean-Baptiste was undoubtedly the first non-native settler to establish a homesite and begin an enterprise at the heart of the city which became

Chicago. Eventually, a school, park, harbor, bridge, and museum were named after him. Most recently, in 2021, the city's iconic Lake Shore Drive was renamed DuSable Lake Shore Drive to honor the trader and explorer whose identity is celebrated by sculptor Erik Blome. To learn more about the settlement of the Chicago area, visit fullersburg.org.

Sue Devick, M.A.

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