Great article, thank you for sharing that! I’ve stayed on the rez in Sault Ste Marie. Never been so cold in my life, freaking snow was 6 feet deep and -22 degrees. The hotel was nice, the Kewadin casino if I remember correctly. My parents are currently on another Chippewa rez for an extended stay. They can have it, I’m staying down here where it is a comfy +22.
The Sault is rich in history. The St. Mary's produced for long before Euro exploitation. And account exists of the conflict of subtle competition when both parties worked the river for fish.
Little imagination need as to who got the short end of the stick. 1820 Sault treaty meant an American fort built where Prior French fort was to defend against British interests....
Yet Natives remained. But then where would they have gone?
Through the digging of the locks (through burial ground) to the gaunt results of locks being built and the resultant unemployed. A Native not involved in digging and being old school instead would likely have fared just fine.
Civilization swung through the Straights South of there regular too. From quite a distance at times. Later it would draw the likes of Marquette "exploring" along old routes. Camps of hundreds.
Perhaps Missionaries inspired winter settlement there.
Numbers seem to indicate such.
But compared to the river valleys does seem like being exposed.
This recent cold has the West side of the state lakeshore much warmer due to the lack of ice/warmer water.
But getting more lake effect snow in the bargain.
Time worn routine had lakeshore in summer and river valley in winter.
I don't question Natives doing so. Eons for them to figure out where to winter.
Groups didn't seem to need to split up like farther North in areas.
Sault or Straights (Mackinaw) I read of buried corn for food but that must have been post contact and late woodland?
Regarding groups splitting up for winter to up the odds of not depleting resources there are soil maps that show a jagged line kind of midstate from West to East and climbing Eastward.
The richer soil on South side supporting more life.
An example is Muskegon where many folks lived together. But just inland and above there the soil is good mostly only in pockets/small areas. Glacial scouring and old seabed cursed or blessed areas. And retreating/melting glaciers left deposits as well. Followed by the organic material built up over eons after.
Fish and corn and firewood. And more firewood.
Might have been fairly clear beaches compared to farther North and ten/fifteen yards or more of driftwood some places.
Good morning, 51 on Florida's Central East Coast with drizzle. N. Florida had some snow. That part of Florida is another world from here.
