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Mackinaw City in Cheboygan County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
 

French House Ruin, 1765-1781

Mackinaw City Historical Pathway

 
 
French House Ruin, 1765-1781 Marker image. Click for full size.
G Witteveen via Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0), August 9, 2021
1. French House Ruin, 1765-1781 Marker
Inscription.  A peacetime economic boom required more housing
In the peace following the French & Indian War, the fur trade boomed. The arriving British, coming as victors of the war, increased the population inside the fort walls to about 200 residents. The entrepreneurial French inhabitants rented their homes to the British and moved outside, building a suburb of about 100 new homes.

French residents built suburbs south of the fort
In this driveway archaeologists found a portion of a traditional French house, a style constructed with vertical posts planted in the ground. It was erected sometime after 1765. This location probably marks the southernmost extent of the suburbs. This, no doubt, was home to a French fur-trader and it probably survived until 1781 when Fort Michilimackinac and most of the village houses were moved to Mackinac Island.

Captions:
(left) … style building. The gaps between the log walls are caulked. … in a typical rafter extension producing an overhang. The … have been simple but functional.
(right) This is a map adapted from the 1765 Plan of Michilimackinac
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at the Clements Library. Houses are shown strung out to the south of the fort.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureColonial EraForts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1765.
 
Location. 45° 46.881′ N, 84° 43.855′ W. Marker is in Mackinaw City, Michigan, in Cheboygan County. Marker is on East Central Avenue east of South Nicolet Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 116 E Central Ave, Mackinaw City MI 49701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. French House Ruin, 1765 - 1781 (here, next to this marker); Tourism at Mackinac (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); British Colonial Farm 1774 - 1780 (about 300 feet away); Indians at the Straits (about 600 feet away); The Barnett Building (about 600 feet away); Winter at Mackinac (about 800 feet away); Hattie Stimpson 1875-1948 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Missionaries at Mackinac (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mackinaw City.
 
Also see . . .  Colonial Michilimackinac History. Historical timeline of the area and details about Fort Michilimackinac. (Mackinow State Historic Parks) (Submitted on February 24, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.) 
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 21, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 64 times since then and 17 times this year. Photo   1. submitted on February 21, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
 
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Sep. 30, 2023