Fort de Buade (St. Ignace, Michigan)
St. Ignace · Michigan · Beaver Wars, King William's War
History & Significance
French settlement at St. Ignace began with the Mission of Saint Ignace founded by Father Jacques Marquette in 1671, which by 1680 had become a considerable community with the mission itself, a French village of a dozen cabins, a Huron village surrounded by a wooden palisade, and an adjacent Odawa village also behind a palisade. In 1681, the Huron and Illiniwek at St. Ignace killed the Seneca chief Annanhac, who had been leading raids against western peoples.
In 1683, Governor Joseph-Antoine de La Barre ordered Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut and Olivier Morel de La Durantaye to establish a strategic presence on the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac; they fortified the Jesuit mission and La Durantaye settled in as overall commander of the French forts in the northwest. When King William's War broke out between England and France in 1689, the fort was formally constructed in 1690 and became a staging area for French and Indian attacks against the Seneca and an important fur trading center.
In 1694 Governor Frontenac sent Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac to run the post, and Cadillac made a small fortune as post commander, possibly by collecting bribes. The wooden stockade, garrisoned from 1683 to 1701, was one of New France's most important outposts, commanding the Straits of Mackinac where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron.
After garrison evacuation in 1701, the fort was either destroyed or fell into disrepair and eventually disappeared. As of October 2022 the fort's remains had not yet been found.
Key Facts
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_de_Buade
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=139604
- https://grokipedia.com/page/fort_de_buade
- https://qualla.com/fort-de-buade/
- https://www.frenchheritagecorridor.org/michigan/the-french-arrive/
- https://scwmi.org/historic-designations/
- https://www.saintignace.org/wp-content/uploads/walking-tour-booklet.pdf
- https://michiganrailroads.com/more/military-forts-and-facilities-in-michigan/6837-fort-de-buade-st-ignace-mi