Fort Detroit
Fort Detroit (1701-1826) - Established 23 Jul 1701 as Fort Ponchartrain du Detroit by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac as a French post and later renamed as Fort Detroit. Also known as Fort Lernoult and Fort Shelby.
Fort Detroit History
Built to prevent the British from moving west and to monopolize the fur trade in the region. As a result of the French & Indian War the fort was turned over to British control on 29 Nov 1760.
During the American Revolutionary War the fort was used to arm and support American Indian raiding parties who attacked American settlements. This practice continued until well after the end of the revolution and it was not until 1783 that all prisoners were released from Fort Detroit. In 1778 Capt. Richard B. Lernoult constructed a new fort a few hundred yards to the south of the original. It was named Fort Lernoult on 3 October 1779.
Under terms negotiated in the Jay Treaty the fort and the surrounding settlement was surrendered by the British to the Americans on 11 Jul 1796, 13 years after the Treaty of Paris ended the war and gave the area to the United States. It is thought that only Fort Lernoult survived the 1805 fire which destroyed Detroit, and that no parts of the original Fort Detroit remained after this time. Fort Lernoult was renamed Fort Detroit in 1805, then renamed Fort Shelby in 1813.
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Location: In Detroit, Michigan, south of Jefferson St. between Griswold St. and Shelby St. Maps & Images Lat: 42.3273 Long: -83.04559 |
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