Jean-Baptiste Point du Sable

Right at the entrance of the bridge, you will see a statue of Jean Baptiste Point du Sable. His name may not ring a bell to you, but come closer and get to know the founder of Chicago! This sculpture , installed in 2009, is a gift from members of the Haitian-American community of Chicago. Because yes, the founder of this wonderful city was Haitian, descended from a French sailor and an African mother, and former slave. His mixed heritage caused history to take its time to officially recognize Jean Baptiste Point du Sable as the city’s founder. Yet he remains the first person to settle here and wed a Native American woman. He also named the place Eschikago. This name is believed to come from the indigenous name for the wild onion, also known as bear onion, which grew in the region. So he settled and established his trade by organizing a supply point for trappers, woodsmen, merchants, and natives. His skin color and behavior, different from that of white men, may have led to better relations with the local tribes. In 1800, Jean-Baptiste sold his house to a Canadian trapper who four years latersold it r to John Kinzie, considered for a long time as the first settler of Chicago. History would give Jean Baptiste his due rights in the 1850s when historians recognized Point du Sable as the first non-native inhabitant of Chicago. But the initial recognitions, akin to those in other cities for their founders, were modest. A high school, a museum, and finally, a stamp in the 1980s. Finally, in 2010, the Michigan Avenue Bridge was renamed Du Sable Bridge, and in 2012, Lake Shore Drive was also renamed in honor of Point du Sable.