The French in Indiana

The French in Indiana

What places in our state have French heritage?

Click here to start!

On these pages, hover over a boldfaced word to see a definition!

France in North America

In the 16th century (the 1500s), North America was populated by many Native American tribes. But the French, like the English and the Spanish, thought they could benefit from this rich land --a land that was new to the French..

Notice all these French place names in the Midwest!

At that time, the French wanted to develop their trade with China and Asia. From France, it was difficult to go to China by traveling on land. Maybe they could to China by boat, if they could find a water route that went through North America! So, they wanted to explore.

What places in Indiana have a French name??

France in North America

The French king decided to send men to explore this new continent. First, Jacques Cartier came down the huge St. Lawrence River several times starting in 1534. He met Native people who lived in that region. But the French did not build any towns at that time.

In 1603, Samuel de Champlain first came to North America. In 1608 he established a small "habitation" or settlement on a site where Native people lived already. Today, this is Quebec City.

Who were the Native people living in Canada?

Next, the French founded a second settlement on an island in the St. Lawrence River, a site that was also inhabited by Native people: this is Montreal! Click here to see a map!

France in North America

By 1645, the French had founded small settlements in Canada: Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal. Frenchmen continued to travel from these towns toward the region of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette, Jean Nicolet, René- Robert Cavelier de LaSalle, and other men traveled into the middle of the continent..

In 1673, Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette were the first Frenchmen to see the Mississippi River. They came down Green Bay and crossed what is today Wisconsin by taking the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. On the way back, they took the Illinois River to go back toward Lake Michigan. On their trip, they were guided by Native people and they met other Natives up and down the Mississippi.

Who were the Native people living in Indiana?

The Fur Trade and Native People

Who were the Native people that the French traded and lived with? In Indiana and the larger Great Lakes area, there were many tribes: Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi, Illinois, Menominee, Ho-Chunk, Miami, Meskwaki, Hurons, and more!

The French saw that they could buy furs (also called pelts) like beaver or mink and send them to Europe to sell them there. In Europe, there was a large demand for furs. This business--the fur trade- -seemed like it might be very valuable!

The Native people were important partners for the French in the fur trade and they were very important in helping the French survive.

A fur (a pelt) of a beaver stretched on a frame. It was necessary to process the furs before trading them.

What have you learned?

Native People and the French

In North America, the French needed Native people for several reasons.

• The Native people knew how to survive in this environment, which was different from France!

• The Native people supplied the furs that the French people wanted to export to Europe.

• The Native people could help the French be integrated into the trade network that already existed among Native tribes.

Even though Native people lived everywhere in this region, the French said that the whole territory was a French colony. The Native people continued to see this land as their land.

Forts and villages

PROJECT: Research one of these Indiana French sites!

After the explorers, French-speaking people came little by little to live in the territory that is Wisconsin today. They built: • forts • religious missions • villages

What are habitants?!

Who came? Traders, soldiers, habitants and priests.

An important fort in Indiana was Fort Ouiatenon. It was located on the Wabash River. Fort Miami was on the Maumee River.

Vincennes had both a fort and a village, on the Wabash River. It grew into the city of Vincennes!

Why are these French forts and villages on rivers??

Fort Ouiatenon and Fort Miami don't exist today, but you can visit Fort Ouiatenon State Park near Lafayette today!

What have you learned?

Plaque in Québec City saying that the city was founded by Champlain

New France was divided into two regions: Canada (in the north) and Louisiana (in the south). Indiana is in Upper Louisiana!

More info!

The territory in blue on this map was the French colony that they called "New France" ("la nouvelle France"). The smaller red area was the British colony. The situation changed in 1763, after the end of the French & Indian War.

The end of New France, but ...

In 1763, France lost the French & Indian War to Great Britain. As a result, all the territory east of the Mississippi became British territory. (To the west of the Mississippi it became Spanish territory.) It was no longer New France.

This part of North America became British after 1763. (The United States didn't exist yet, in 1763!)

And, at the end of the 18th century the area that is now Indiana became part of the new country, the United States of America. For the Native people, of course, this was still their territory. They still had to deal with European people, whether they were French or British.

East of the MIssissippi, the land became part of the new United States after 1783.

French culture continued in Indiana !

French culture continued on the land that is Indiana today. In the village of Vincennes, for example, the residents, who spoke French, continued to trade with the Native people and to farm the land into the 1800s!

The fur trade continued in the 19th century (the 1800s) and many leaders in this business were French speakers: Joseph Bailly, near Lake Michigan, and Zacharie Cicott in central Indiana, for example. And Jean-Baptiste Pointe DuSable, well known in Chicago, traded at Trail Creek (now in Michigan City, Indiana), also!

List of merchandise from Joseph Bailly

When Indiana became a part of the United States in the 1800s, French Catholic religious (priests, nuns, and monks) sont arrived and founded the University of Notre Dame in northern Indiana.

Old French House, Vincennes

In southern Indiana, French speakers from Switzerland founded the city of Vevay!

What have you learned?

Let's think about it!

• The French needed their Native trade partners in order to survive! Make a list of the things that the French needed, in this new land, which the Native people could give them or help with.

• French settlements--forts, missions, or villages--in Indiana are almost always on rivers. Why?

• Research the Native tribes that were and are in Indiana: Miami, Potawatomi, Wea, etc. Where do people from these Native groups live today? (Hint: some live in Indiana!!)

• Choose a French site in Indiana and research it. Create a brochure for tourists or other visitors that gives them good information about this place.

The French in Indiana

What places in our state have French heritage?

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Let's Explore!

Traders and habitants

What's the difference between fur traders and habitants?

Traders traveled a lot to trade for furs with the Natives and usually didn't have farm crops. Traders often married Native women.

"Habitants" raised crops and didn't travel as often, though they often did some fur trading. The land of Indiana was rich and productive.

Old French House, Vincennes

Not many French-speaking people lived in Indiana in the 17th and 18th centuries. The biggest villages, like Vincennes, often had no more than 200 French speakers living there!

The word "habitant" is French--it means an inhabitant, or a person who lives in a place.