Chicago's Early Settlers

Chicago's Early Settlers. . , 1782 Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, an Afro-French Canadian fur trapper settled on the north bank of the river. He peace with the Potawatomis and married Catherine, a member of the tribe. They left in 1803 when the Louisiana Purchase opened up territory to the United States and a new fort was to be built on the south bank of the river. , , 1804 John Kinzie arrived in Chicago to trade with the Indians, left for a few years but returned by 1816. He purchased du Sable's cabin and enlarged it for his family. His son, John H. Kinzie became an important leader in the city. , , 1816 The Potawatomi tribe cedes a strip of land ten miles wide on each side of the river from the river mouth to the headwaters of the Illinois, thus giving the United States control of the portage. That same year Fort Dearborn was replaced by a less fortified complex. , , In 1818 Wolf Point Tavern was the center of social activity. It existed where the River split to the north and to the south and could be reached by canoe or the first barge ferry on the river.