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A black man founded Chicago
How come I didn’t learn about this in school?
I recently got back from a trip to Chicago. I had a great time. As someone who grew up in New York City, I found this Midwestern metropolis to be charming. It’s lacking in pretense, has warm, friendly people, and also boasts amazing architecture, beautiful parks, and diverse cuisines. Oh, and of course the history — from the Great Fire to the Valentine’s Day Massacre. We did go by the church where that event happened.
One thing I learned as I wandered the city — Chicago was founded by a black man.
His name was Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. There is a bust of him with a plaque on one of the many bridges. According to the plaque, he lived from 1745–1818. He was an Afro-Caribbean, born in St. Marc, Haiti.
So what did he do?
In the 1770s he established the first trading post on the Chicago River. His land became the du Sable homestead. By 1790, this grew into an extensive and prosperous business. The settlement that evolved around the store eventually became the city of Chicago.
In 1800, du Sable sold this property and moved to St. Charles, a port town from which he ran a ferry.
Eventually a bust of the man, along with a plaque, was donated to the city by a Haitian…
