Michigan's Shore Indian Trail and Hull's Trace & the War of 1812

From the October 25, 2022, Thumbwind by Michael Hardy.

The Shore Indian Trail was one of five major routes of land travel leading to Detroit and was well-known by early settlers.  The trail begins at the rapids of the Maumee River to Toledo, then closely follows along the shore of Lake Erie through Monroe and Brownstown to Detroit.

This trail became a crucial tactical element in the War of 1812.  The U.S. was concerned with supplying Fort Detroit early in tnhe war (it was still in American hands).  Since the British Navy controlled the Lake Erie, overland supply was the only option.

Starting in June 1812, troops under the command of General William Hull constructed what became known as "Hull's Trace," a 200-mile military road running from Urbana, Ohio, to Fort Detroit.  One hundred and fifty men under the command of  Hubert Lacroix completed "Corduroy Road" on July 4, 1812, with a bridge over  the River Huron.

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812-- Part 3: The State of Michigan Marker on the Trace

"In April 1812, as the United States prepared for possible war with Great Britain, Michigan's Territorial Governor, William Hull,  became commander of the Army of the Northwest.    His first task was to lead his army from Dayton, Ohio, to Detroit, building Hull's Trace, a two-hundred-mile long road, as it marched.

"The army left Dayton on June 1.  As they cut the trace through the wilderness from Urbana north, it laid logs crosswise across swampy areas to create a rough, but stable corduroy roadbed that could support supply wagons.

"In late June, a detachment  from Frenchtown, commanded by Hubert Lacroix also worked on the road, attempting to follow a route laid out  under an 1808  territorial  Legislative Council act.  (This must have been McCloskey's work, see previous post.)

"On June 18, 1812, war was declared.  Hull's army arrived in Detroit on July 5."

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812-- Part 2: Who Was McCloskey?

Evidently, the route of this road/trace was originally laid out by someone named McCloskey who won a lottery in 1808 (to mark the route?)  and there is a map of it in the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library.

The article says that he must have traveled   the existing (Indian?) trail, taking compass readings as he traveled.  Somewhere around the Huron River, he may have deviated from the trail because Hubert Lacroix wrote in 1812 that he wasn't able to find the slashes on the trees  for the original route.

Hull's Trace ran close to Lake Erie and the Detroit River, making it vulnerable to British attacks by water.  As a matter of fact, the first land-based skirmish of the war, the Battle of Brownstown, was fought on a road just  north of this section.

The later battles of Maguaga and Frenchtown were also  fought along the trace. 

Hull's Trace has been considered Michigan's first road at the beginning of the settler era.

--Brock-Perry

Hull's Trace & the War of 1812: 200 Miles Long from Ohio to Detroit

From the October 2, 2021, Thumbwind site (Having Fun in Michigan)  "Michigan's Shore Indian Trail-- Hull's Trace & the War of 1812" by Michael Hardy.

The Shore Indian Trail was one of five major routes of traveling by land out of Detroit and the best-known for early settlers.  The trail began at the rapids of the Maumee River in Ohio to Toledo then closely along the Lake Erie shore through Monroe and Brownstown to Detroit.

From Detroit, it went northward along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, past Fort Joseph, Fort Gratoit, to the Thumb.

The Trail became a crucial tactical element during the War of 1812 when the United States became concerned about supplying Fort Detroit and the surrounding Michigan Territory area.  The British controlled Lake Erie, so overland supply was the only option.

Starting in June 1812, troops under the command of General William Hull constructed what became known as "Hull's Trace" (also called Hull's Trail), a military road running 200 miles from Urbana, Ohio, to Fort Detroit.

One hundred and fifty men under the command of Hubert Lacroix completed the "Corduroy Road" on July 4, 1812, with a bridge over the River Huron.   (A corduroy road uses logs to get across swampy, wet areas, in case you're wondering.)

--Brock-Perry