Michel Cadotte facts for kids

Michel Cadotte (born July 22, 1764 – died July 8, 1837) was an important fur trader. His name was also spelled Michael, Cadott, or Cadeau. In the Ojibwe language, he was known as Kechemeshane (or Gichi-miishen), which means "Great Michel." Michel Cadotte was a Métis person, meaning he had both Ojibwe and French-Canadian heritage. He became a very powerful figure in the fur trade business around the southern part of Lake Superior.

Michel Cadotte made a smart move by marrying Equawasay. She was the daughter of the leader of the White Crane clan. Men from this clan were the traditional chiefs of the Lake Superior Ojibwe people. Cadotte's trading post was at La Pointe on Madeline Island. This place was a key spot for trading between the Lake Superior Ojibwe and the British and American trading companies.

Who was Michel Cadotte?

Michel Cadotte was born on July 22, 1764. He was the second son of a French father and an Anishinaabe mother. He was born in what is now Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. At that time, the British had just taken over this area after winning the Seven Years' War against France. Michel had an older brother, and they grew up with their mother's Ojibwe family.

His father, Jean Baptiste Cadotte, Sr., was also a fur trader. He worked for French and later British companies around the eastern part of Lake Superior. Michel's grandfather was a Frenchman named Cadeau. He came to Lake Superior in the late 1600s as part of a French exploration trip.

Michel's mother was a member of the powerful Owaazsii (Bullhead) clan of the Anishinaabeg. Historical records often say she was very important in the region and a very kind person. She became a Roman Catholic. Her French name was probably Marianne or Anastasia. Michel and his brother, John Baptiste Jr., were sent to Montreal for their schooling. They went to French Catholic schools there.

Cadotte Sr. moved his trading business further west along the south shore of Lake Superior. He set up a trading post on Mooningwanekaaning (Madeline Island). This island is in Chequamegon Bay in modern-day Wisconsin. It was a traditional center for the Lake Superior Ojibwe. There had been a French trading post there before. As Michel Cadotte grew up, he often traveled west with his father and older brother, John Baptiste Cadotte.

In 1796, Jean Baptiste Sr. retired. He left his businesses to his sons. John Baptiste Jr. explored areas further west, like Fond du Lac and Red Lake in Minnesota. Michel Cadotte stayed at La Pointe on Mooningwanekaaning. This island was then called St. Michel Island.

Michel Cadotte's Family Life

At La Pointe, Michel Cadotte married a woman named Ikwesewe. She was the daughter of the leader of the White Crane clan of the Anishinaabe people. This marriage was very helpful for Cadotte. The men of the Crane clan were chosen as the traditional chiefs of the Lake Superior Ojibwe. Because of this marriage, Cadotte became the main fur trader on the south shore of Lake Superior. He kept this important role for many years.

The head of the White Crane clan also found this marriage helpful. It created a strong connection with the fur trader through his daughter. Ikwesewe and Cadotte had several children together. Two of their daughters married American fur traders, the brothers Lyman and Truman Warren.

What did Michel Cadotte do for a living?

Michel Cadotte worked for the British North West Company and later for the American Fur Company. He built a large trading business across northern Wisconsin. He set up smaller trading posts at the start of the Chippewa River and at Lac Courte Oreilles.

Cadotte was born just after Great Britain won the Seven Years' War and New France fell. His career was at its peak during the later years of the big fur trade era. Many Métis traders, like him, were very important in the Great Lakes area. They worked for both British and American companies.

Michel Cadotte and his brother Jean Baptiste were known for being generous and well-liked. They played a key role in helping to create peace and trade in the region. Cadotte could read and write. He also spoke Ojibwe, English, and French very well. Because of this, he often helped communicate between the Ojibwe people and the governments of Canada and the United States. He had a lot of political power. For example, he convinced most of the Lake Superior Ojibwe to stay out of Tecumseh's War.

Cadotte retired from his business in 1823. He left it to his two American sons-in-law, Lyman and Truman Warren. He passed away on July 8, 1837, and was buried at La Pointe.

Michel Cadotte's Father

Michel's father, Jean Baptiste Cadotte, was an interpreter for the French at Sault Ste. Marie. He was there when the British took over during the Seven Years' War. Alexander Henry the elder met him and spent a winter with him and his wife, Catherine Marcot Cadotte. She was part Odawa and part French. In 1767, Cadotte and Henry started the trading post at Michipicoten again.

In 1775, Cadotte and Henry took many goods from Montreal to the area of the new Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) post. Cadotte went to Fort des Prairies.

Michel Cadotte's Legacy

• Mooningwanekaaning Island was called Île St. Michel by the French in the 1600s. Later, in the 1800s and early 1900s, it became known as Michael's Island, named after Cadotte.
• Today, the island is named after his wife, Ikwesewe. She lived to be over ninety years old. Her Catholic saint's name was Madeline, which is why the island is now called Madeline Island.
• The town of Cadott, Wisconsin in Chippewa County, Wisconsin was named after him.
• One of the Cadottes' grandsons was William Whipple Warren. He was also born in La Pointe. He spoke Ojibwe from birth. In 1851, he was elected as a lawmaker from Minnesota Territory. He wrote the first history of the Ojibwe people. He combined their oral traditions with European-American ways of writing history. His book was published in 1885 and printed again in 2009.
• The Cadotte family has many living descendants today. They live throughout Ojibwe Country, especially in the Red Cliff area.

See also

• Chief Buffalo
• Charles Michel de Langlade
• Pierre Grignon
• Alexander Henry the elder