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01b - Vintage Postcard Folder View of the "New" Michigan Boulevard Bridge
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Returning from France, du Sable became shipwrecked in New Orleans, where he narrowly avoided being enslaved (due to his dark skin). He traveled up the Mississippi, working as a trader, and eventually settled at the mouth of the Chicago river around 1788. He married his wife Catherine (a Native American) and set up a trading post which expanded into an impressive set of buildings. He sold his estate in 1800 and moved to Missouri, where he lived until his death in 1814. He spoke several languages, had refined tastes in art, music and decor, and was by all accounts (French, British, American, and several Native American tribes) an extremely righteous dude (I'm paraphrasing here).
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