French History Tour of Detroit A Self-Guided Audio Tour App
Tour the vestiges of French Detroit, an American City, that began as a French colonial outpost. It was founded as Fort Pontchartrain and as a trading post in 1701. It remained an outpost of the French Empire through 1760, when it became a part of the British Empire. It remained British until 1795, when it became American. Throughout those changes, Detroit retained its French identity and remained a French speaking city into the 1840's. Most of that French history is lost, forgotten, and seldom taught in history books. On this tour you will learn of the preservation efforts of what remains of the cultural heritage of French Detroit. This tour brings that history to life.
After you download this tour, you can listen to the narration in the comfort of your home or hotel room. You can then decide if you want to visit all of the places in one day, or to focus on a few. Once you are close to each of the points of interest, the SmartGuide app will alert you and begin to play the narrative.
Options
French History Tour of Detroit
What's included in French History Tour of Detroit A Self-Guided Audio Tour App
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Ste. Anne de Detroit Church
Take a private auto tour through the forgotten history of French Detroit. Discover what remains of Detroit when it was a distant outpost on the fringe of Louis XIV’s French Empire. Learn what makes the history of Detroit unlike that of any other. See where more than a thousand Fox Indians were slaughtered (and why) in an epic battle for control of the straits. See the river whose water turned red with the blood of more than a hundred British Redcoats, ambushed crossing the bridge over it! See the second oldest continuously operating Catholic parish in the US, founded by Antoine Cadillac and Father Constantin De L’Halle. See the resting place of Father Gabriel Richard. Find out why the history of French Detroit is a history of the French and of Native American Indians. A fun and informative tour!
Hart Plaza
After leaving Ste Anne's, we stop at nearby Riverside Park, before driving on to Hart Plaza. Learn about the Wendat, who lived at this location, and other Native American Indians who lived in relative peace and harmony with the French. At Hart Plaza, see about Fort Pontchartrain and why it was built there. After leaving Hart Plaza, we stop briefly at two of the oldest houses built in Detroit, dating to 1826 and 1840. Learn about ribbon farms and some of the streets named for the farms they ran alongside.
Visit the remains of the 1,800 original settlers originally buried in Ste Anne’s cemetery and re-interred here. Learn the tragedy of the lost markers. Stop at the tombs, and family plots of other notable French settlers and notable Detroiters.
Inclusions
- You will receive the SmartGuide App and the French History of Detroit Audio Tour.
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting / End Points
- This is the tour starting point. Transportation is NOT included in this tour, it is a self-guided audio tour. A tour of the Ste Anne Basilica is not included in this tour but you can arrange a tour of Ste Anne.
Redeem
Ticket Redemption
When you purchase this tour, you will be send an email containing a link to the tour and the app that supports, the SmartGuide app. You can then take the tour any time you want to, with as many people as you wish to accompany you.
