Contact Me

Scroll to the bottom for my email address. Read on if you want to know what to expect when contacting me...

I Love to Hear from People Who Have Visited This Site

I really, really do!

I am very happy to read and respond to email messages, but please keep in mind that I am NOT an expert in Detroit history -- I'm not even an expert in my own history -- nor am I a Detroit scholar, a historian, a genealogist, a professional speaker, a writer, or a football player. If I know the answer to your question, I will happily share it. If I don't, but I have a book that might contain the answer, I'll try to look it up for you. If neither of these things are true, I will do my best to direct you to a resource that might prove useful -- I might even be able to connect you to someone else who is looking for the same information.

While I may in fact be a mindreader, I need to look you in the eye in order to read your mind. Please don't intentionally (accidents happen!) send me cryptic messages or messages with single words and expect me to have anything useful to say to you. And it wouldn't hurt to be nice. I mean to say... Most of the time, people are VERY kind and polite and I am over-the-moon to respond to them. But every once in a while, I get messages like these:

"the need more info bookor links on the john c lodge freeway . thanks"

(the 'thanks' is a nice touch and I got the point enough to respond, but it does make me feel like a bit of a robot -- remember, I'm an alien, not a robot)

"Kercheval"

(yes, that's right, someone recently sent me an email with just that -- that's the entire message; I didn't respond; I'm thinking it was an accident -- the sender probably accidentally sent the message before they meant to)

"Do you know how to get a street named after someone?"

(I responded to this, but a 'hello' or a 'thanks' would have been nice; I don't do this stuff for a living -- it's a hobby -- I will happily interrupt my work day to respond to questions, but it's much nicer to respond to someone who actually treats me like a sentient being instead of a computer terminal; messages like this are okay, but they do make me feel like the author takes it for granted that I will want to talk to them)

Please Do Not Assume I Am Male

I have responded to many emails that address me as "Dear Sir." I try not to flip out as no one means to offend me -- and tolerance is a very important part of a happy life -- they just don't know anything about me. So, I am stating here, for the record:

I Am a Girl!

This is Not Antiques Road Show

I have no idea how much your priceless Detroit treasures are worth. Chances are that it's not much, but you never know. You want an antiques dealer/appraiser.

Will I Ever Reply?

I usually respond to Detroit History emails within 2 days of receiving them. Sometimes it takes a little longer.

Want to make Me Very Happy?

Send me YOUR stories. I will very happily post them on the site -- it might take a while as I don't frequently have time to update the site. Be sure to include any contact information you want me to include on the page.

Is There ANY Contact Information on This Page??

Yes, yes there is and it is right here...

Email:
Business website: City Beautiful Design
Non-Detroit/History Blogs: Fates Guild | Fruit Intolerance
Pinterest
LinkedIn Profile
Google Plus Profile
Twitter Profile (view at your own risk, you may not like my politics!)

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Glossary:
Algonquin

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes (and others): Delaware, Fox, Huron, Miami, Ojibwa (Chippewa), Ottawa, Potawatomi, Sac, Shawnee and Winnebago.
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Glossary:
arquebus

A 39 pound (approximate) musket that two men would prop on a tri-pod and fire with a small torch. The arquebus was used by Champlain's men against the Iroquois to defend the Hurons. This may be the cause of decades of Iroquois abuse of the Hurons.
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Glossary:
clay and wattle

Building technique used in the construction of chimneys in the early days of Fort Ponchartrain. The technique involved piling sticks and packing them - inside and out - with clay and mud.
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Glossary:
Colbertism

Name for early French mercantilism in America, which Jean-Baptiste Colbert was influential in developing.
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Glossary:
conges

Trade permits issued by the Canadian government/court of France in the late 1600s to early 1700s.
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Glossary:
coureurs de bois

Very early French inhabitants of the current US and Canada who gave up their farmsteads for lives in the fur trade. They often lived with Native Americans.
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Glossary:
District of Hesse

Land district provisioned by the Canadian Council on July 24, 1788. The area was on the east side of the Detroit River.
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Glossary:
Fox

"Properly ""Mesh-kwa-ki-hug"". Native American tribe living in the area between Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay at the time Detroit was founded. The French called the tribe Renyard. An allied tribe of the Sacs and Mascoutin."
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Glossary:
Huron

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Iroquoian

General term sometimes used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca.
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Glossary:
Iroquois

"A Native American tribe known for antagonizing and brutalizing the Hurons (see also arquebus)"
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Glossary:
Mascouten

Native American tribe living in the Grand Traverse Bay area at the time Detroit was founded. An allied tribe of the Foxes and Sacs. Also spelled Mascoutin.
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Glossary:
Miami

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Muskhogean

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek.
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Glossary:
New York Currency

First standard currency used in Detroit (first used in 1765).
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Glossary:
Ottawa

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Outagamies

Native American tribe living in the Grand Traverse Bay area at the time Detroit was founded. An allied tribe of the Foxes (and Sacs?).
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Glossary:
Plains Indians

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, and Pawnee (Pani).
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Glossary:
Potawatomi

A Native American tribe that built a village near Fort Ponchartrain.
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Glossary:
Quebec Act

Act of June 22, 1774, in which British Parliament decides to exercise English law in criminal cases and old French provincial law in civil cases in western settlements. The idea was to discourage people from settling in the west.
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Glossary:
Renyard

See Fox
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Glossary:
ribbon farms

Original land grants given by Cadillac. The lots were typically around 200 feet wide at the river front, with lengths up to 3 miles.
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Glossary:
Sac

See Sauk
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Glossary:
Sakis

See Sauk
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Glossary:
Sauk

Native American tribe living in the area between Saginaw Bay and Thunder Bay at the time Detroit was founded. The French called the tribe Sakis; English and Americans generally call them Sacs. An allied tribe of the Foxes/Renyards and Mascouten.
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Glossary:
Shoshonean

General term used to describe Native Americans of the following tribes: Bannock and Shoshone.
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Glossary:
Treaty of Montreal

Treaty ending the war between the Iroquois and France and England. Negotiations began in July of 1698 and the treaty was signed in August of 1701.
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Glossary:
Treaty of Ryswick

September 20, 1697 treaty ending war between France and England.
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Glossary:
voyageurs

Early French explorers who traveled mainly by water.