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28.08.

1818: The Man who Founded Chicago was an African-American?

1818: The Man who Founded Chicago was an African-American?
Photo Credit To Wikipedia Commons/Drawing of the home of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable in Chicago as it appeared in the early 1800s

Story Highlights

  • Historical event
  • 28 August 1818
  • Jean Baptiste Point du Sable settled in the area of Chicago during the 1780s, i.e. before the beginning of the French Revolution. Some think that he was actually an African American from the French Caribbean colonies.
  • Jean Baptiste Point du Sable settled in the area of Chicago during the 1780s, i.e. before the beginning of the French Revolution. Some think that he was actually an African American from the French Caribbean colonies.

Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who is considered the founder of the city of Chicago, died on this day in 1818.



His name indicates his origin (the French had colonies in the area of today’s Canada during the 17th century).

Some think that Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was actually an African American from the French Caribbean colonies (the island of Hispaniola).

It seems that he was the first so-called “non-resident Indian” who lived in the area of today’s Chicago.

Chicago is located in the area which was extremely important for the traffic. In fact, it was the beginning of the path across the local river, which was something akin to the easiest way to come to the Mississippi River (from the area of the Great Lakes).




Namely, the Great Lakes are connected with the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico so people could come from Chicago to Labrador and the warmer regions in Central America.

It is assumed that Jean Baptiste Point du Sable settled in the area of Chicago during the 1780s, i.e. before the beginning of the French Revolution.

He was allegedly a rich merchant, who owned wooden house and many buildings. The interior part of North America was important due to the fur trade.

Trappers hunted animals and sold their fur, which were sold at a high price throughout world (even in China).  Namely, the Russians had colonies in Alaska (mostly due to the fur trade) when Jean Baptiste Point du Sablée lived.

 

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