March 25, 1680

La Salle and his men left Fort Miami to explore interior Michigan.

French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle and five other men left Fort Miami (present-day St. Joseph) to journey across the southern Lower Peninsula. Battling cold temperatures, snow, swamps and Indians, La Salle’s men reached Niagara on April 4, 1680, becoming the first Europeans to see the interior of the Lower Peninsula.

Thank you Michigan Start Pages for this glimpse into our past.  See more here.