Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite facts for kids
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Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite
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 Location in Chicago metropolitan area
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Pioneer Court, Chicago, IL |
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| Area | about 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1779 |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000690 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | May 11, 1976 |
| Designated NHL | May 11, 1976 |
The Jean Baptiste Point Du Sable Homesite is a very important place in Chicago, Illinois. It's where Jean Baptiste Point du Sable built his home and trading post around the 1780s. Many people consider this to be the first permanent home in Chicago that wasn't built by Native Americans.
Today, part of this historic site is covered by Pioneer Court. You can find it at 401 North Michigan Avenue in the Near North Side area of Chicago.
Contents
A Look Back: Du Sable's Chicago Home
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable probably settled near the Chicago River's mouth around the 1780s. He lived there with his wife, Kitihawa, who was a Potawatomi woman, and their children. He sold his property in 1800.
What Was on the Property?
In 1913, the original bill of sale from 1800 was found in Detroit, Michigan. This document showed what Du Sable's property included. It had a house, two barns, and even a mill pulled by a horse. There was also a bakehouse, a place for poultry (like chickens), a dairy, and a smokehouse.
Their house was a log cabin, about 22 by 40 feet (6.7 by 12.2 meters). It was quite fancy for its time, filled with nice furniture and paintings.
Who Lived There Next?
After Point du Sable left Chicago, John Kinzie took over the home. In 1834, the land that Kinzie owned was officially mapped out and sold. This area, called the "Kinzie addition" to Chicago, is thought to be the same land Du Sable owned. It stretched from the Chicago River north to Chicago Avenue and from State Street east to Lake Michigan.
Honoring History: The Du Sable Monument
A special plaque was made in 1937 to remember this important site. It was placed on a marble block at Pioneer Court after the court was officially opened in 1965.
What the Plaque Says (and What's Different)
The plaque reads: "KINZIE MANSION / Near this site stood Kinzie Mansion, / 1784-1832, home of Pointe Du Saible, / Le Mai, and John Kinzie, Chicago's / "first civilian," here was born in 1805, / the city's first white child Ellen Marion Kinzie".
While the plaque correctly states that Ellen Marion Kinzie was the first white child born in the city, it's important to know that Du Sable's granddaughter, Eulalie Pelletier, was actually the first non-Native American child born in Chicago, back in 1796.
Recognizing the Homesite Today
Pioneer Court was added to the National Register of Historic Places and became a National Historic Landmark on May 11, 1976. This means it's a very important historical site in the United States.
In 2009, the City of Chicago and a private donor put up a large bronze statue of Point du Sable at this site. It was created by a sculptor named Erik Blome, who was born in Chicago. In October 2010, the Michigan Avenue Bridge right next to the site was renamed the DuSable Bridge to honor Jean Baptiste Point du Sable.
