City officials have dedicated a sculpture in honor of a fur trader dubbed the founder of Chicago.A bronze bust of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable was installed Saturday on the east side of Michigan Avenue just north of the Chicago River.
DuSable was a Haitian-born fur trader who was the first non-indigenous settler to the Chicago area. The state of Illinois dubbed him "Founder of Chicago" in 1968.
The sculpture is based on a 19th century drawing. It is mounted on a granite pedestal and stands over six-feet tall.
The sculpture was donated by members of Chicago's Haitian-American community.
Associated Press and staff report
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Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable (c. 1745 - August 28, 1818) was the first non-native settler in the area which is now Chicago, Illinois. He was long ignored by historians, partly because he was a Haitian and not white, and partly because the early histories were written by the friends and descendants of John Kinzie, to whom du Sable sold his house in 1800.
Du Sable built his first house in the 1770s, thirty years before Fort Dearborn was established on the banks of the Chicago River. By the time he sold to Kinzie's frontman, Jean LeLime, his property included a house, two barns, a horsemill, a bakehouse, a poultry house, a dairy and a smokehouse . The interior was richly appointed as well.
Du Sable married the daughter of one of the local Potawatomi chiefs. During the Revolutionary War, he was imprisoned briefly by the British at Detroit, Michigan.
Jean had a son and daughter, Jean and Suzzane.
In 1800 Baptiste left Chicago and headed west for unknown reasons. Some speculate that he was disappointed the local Potawatomi tribe did not make him a chief. --
http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Jean:Baptiste:Point:du:Sable.html
The sculpture is based on a 19th century drawing. It is mounted on a granite pedestal and stands over six-feet tall.
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