Fort Dearborn

Before Chicago was discovered by
Jacques Marquette (a French missionary) and his team, it was a seasonal hunting and trading center for several Native American tribes. Thee tribes included the Pottowattamie, Miami, and the Illini.

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​Chicago Before Its Settlement

Multiple Choice

Before it became a city, Chicago was hunting ground for the Pottowattami, the Miami, and the _______________ tribes.

• Illini

• Chicagi

• Agonquaguin

Most of the Native Americans were friendly with the French, but because the Fox tribe fought with the French, the French hesitated to settle in these lands. In 1779, a black French trader named Jean Baptiste Point du Sable became the first non- Native American settler in Chicago. He built a farm at the mouth of the Chicago River in 1790. Although he left the area in 1800, he is considered to be the city's founder.

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​First French Settler

Multiple Choice

This free black Frenchman built his home along the Chicago River.

• Fredrick Douglas

• Jean Baptiste Point du Sable

• Antoine la

  Pettawa

The name Chicago came from a French version of the Native American word shikaakwa (from the Miami-Illinois language). The first known time that someone called the land "Checagou" was recorded by Robert de LaSalle around 1679 in his memoir.  in his 1688 journals, a man named Henri Joutel explained that the land was called "chicagoua" because of the wild garlic that grew abundantly in the area.

​How Did Chicago Get Its Name?

Multiple Choice

The land was called "chicagoua" because of the ________________ that grew abundantly in the area

• wild onions

• wild tulips

• wild garlic

In 1795, following the Northwest Indian War, some Native Americans ceded the area of Chicago to the United States for a military post. The US built Fort Dearborn in 1803 on the Chicago River. It was destroyed by Indian forces during the War of 1812 in the Battle of Fort Dearborn. The battle lasted about 15 minutes and resulted in a complete victory for the Native Americans.

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Fort Dearborn

Multiple Choice

What United States military post was built on the Chicago River?

• New Orleans

• Fort Dearborn

• Fort McHenry

Multiple Choice

Fort Dearborn was destroyed by Indian forces during the War of 1812.

• TRUE

• FALSE

After the battle, Fort Dearborn was burned down. Some of the soldiers and settlers who had been taken captive were later ransomed. Following the battle, the federal government became convinced that all Indians had to be removed from the territory and the vicinity of any settlements, as settlers continued to migrate to the area.

Fort Dearborn

Multiple Choice

What happened to Fort Dearborn after the battle?

• It was flooded

• It was looted

• It was burned down

This building (the London House in Chicago) marks the place where Fort Dearborn used to be.

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Multiple Choice

Fort Dearborn is still standing today.

• TRUE

• FALSE