Fort L'Huillier (Blue Earth County, near Mankato, Minnesota)
Blue Earth County, near Mankato · Minnesota
History & Significance
Fort L'Huillier was located near the confluence of the Blue Earth and Le Sueur Rivers in what is now Minnesota. The garrison, originally holding about 30 men, was built under the direction of Pierre-Charles Le Sueur, a French trader and explorer interested in mining blue clay he thought was copper ore, and was named in honor of metallurgical assayer Rémy-François L'Huillier.
Le Sueur reached the Blue Earth River mouth via the Mississippi route from the Gulf Coast and built the small fort in 1700. Le Sueur departed in 1701 to take samples to New Orleans for analysis, and while he was gone, the fort was apparently attacked and abandoned by 1702.
The blue clay proved worthless, not the copper ore Le Sueur had hoped. The fort was abandoned after an attack by the Meskwaki.
A plaque now marks the fort's probable site on Minnesota Highway 66. The exact location has never been conclusively confirmed through archaeology.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_L%27Huillier
- https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/explorers/sitee16.htm
- https://www.blueearthcountymn.gov/164/History
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Earth_River
- https://www.frenchheritagecorridor.org/minnesota/the-french-arrive-contact-phase/
- https://collection.mndigital.org/catalog/hchm:1192