The Old Northwest: A Chronicle of the Ohio Valley and Beyond

When Montreal fell in September 1760, the vast lands south of the Great Lakes—now the Old Northwest—passed from French to British control, opening a new frontier for settlement. French traders, priests, and soldiers had already established forts, missions, and trading posts along the Mississippi, the Illinois Country, the Wabash Valley, and the western edge of Lake Erie, creating a network that would shape the region’s growth. As British forces arrived, they met a confederation of Native leaders under Pontiac, who demanded assurances that the transition would be peaceful and generous.

The British response sent the famed ranger Major Robert Rogers and two hundred men to claim the remaining French outposts, beginning a tense journey up the St. Lawrence toward Detroit. After a cautious parley at the Cuyahoga River, the party pressed on, reaching Detroit in November where the French commander surrendered and the British flag was raised. The town, with modest wooden houses, a council house, and a stout fort, offers a vivid portrait of frontier life at the moment the continent’s power balance began to shift.