[Introduction]

Brief Review Of Events From The Period Of French Discovery To The Close Of The War Of 1812.

The Storm.

IN preceding chapters the chief events of lake history, from the period of French discovery to the beginning of modern commerce, succeeding the war of 1812, have been narrated. The chronology of the lakes becomes a matter of greater detail as this inland traffic gradually expands, and the following pages will chronicle the more important events which have occurred since the lakes became the highway for great commercial purposes. Preliminary to this chronology, a brief review of the earlier history is presented.

In the sixteenth century the St. Lawrence river was discovered and navigated by French adventurers. In the seventeenth century the system of the Great Lakes was discovered and occupied by the same nation. During the eighteenth century there was a constant struggle for the control of these vast inland seas, and, when the war of 1812 ended, their shores were rapidly populated. Commerce properly began with that permanent settlement. Briefly, then, the preparatory events were as follows:

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Volume II

Some of the transcription work was also done by Brendon Baillod, who maintains an excellent guide to Great Lakes Shipwreck Research.