Jean-Marie Ducharme
Encyclopedia
Jean-Marie Ducharme was a fur trade
r and political figure in Lower Canada
.
He was born in Lachine, Quebec
in 1723, the son of a farmer there who also was involved in the fur trade. He entered the fur trade in the southwest. He helped establish the French
establish Fort Duquesne
near the current site of Pittsburgh. After the British
took control of Quebec
, Ducharme began operating near what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin
, then known as La Baye. In 1763, he transported ammunition to Michilimackinac
, contravening a British ban. He was later arrested and imprisoned at Montreal
. In 1772, Ducharme was trading with the Little Osages
on the Missouri River
, leading to an attempt by the Spanish
to capture him; his furs were confiscated, but Ducharme managed to escape to Montreal. He continued to trade in the La Baye area. He was arrested by the British after the American Revolution
for selling supplies to the Americans
. Ducharme became a partner in a general store set up at Michilimackinac in 1779. In 1779-80, he helped lead a British expedition against the Spanish at St. Louis
. After he retired from the fur trade, Ducharme represented Montreal County in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
from 1796 to 1800.
He died at Lachine in 1807.
His son Dominique
also entered the fur trade and later served with distinction during the War of 1812.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r and political figure in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
.
He was born in Lachine, Quebec
Lachine, Quebec
Lachine was a city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is now a borough within the city of Montreal.-History:...
in 1723, the son of a farmer there who also was involved in the fur trade. He entered the fur trade in the southwest. He helped establish the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
establish Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
near the current site of Pittsburgh. After the British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
took control of Quebec
Province of Quebec (1763-1791)
The Province of Quebec was a colony in North America created by Great Britain after the Seven Years' War. Great Britain acquired Canada by the Treaty of Paris when King Louis XV of France and his advisors chose to keep the territory of Guadeloupe for its valuable sugar crops instead of New France...
, Ducharme began operating near what is now Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, then known as La Baye. In 1763, he transported ammunition to Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan, in the United States...
, contravening a British ban. He was later arrested and imprisoned at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In 1772, Ducharme was trading with the Little Osages
Osage Nation
The Osage Nation is a Native American Siouan-language tribe in the United States that originated in the Ohio River valley in present-day Kentucky. After years of war with invading Iroquois, the Osage migrated west of the Mississippi River to their historic lands in present-day Arkansas, Missouri,...
on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
, leading to an attempt by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to capture him; his furs were confiscated, but Ducharme managed to escape to Montreal. He continued to trade in the La Baye area. He was arrested by the British after the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
for selling supplies to the Americans
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Ducharme became a partner in a general store set up at Michilimackinac in 1779. In 1779-80, he helped lead a British expedition against the Spanish at St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. After he retired from the fur trade, Ducharme represented Montreal County in the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada was the lower house of the bicameral structure of provincial government in Lower Canada until 1838. The legislative assembly was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791...
from 1796 to 1800.
He died at Lachine in 1807.
His son Dominique
Dominique Ducharme
Dominique Ducharme , from Lachine, Quebec, was a French Canadian fur trader, settler, militia officer, and public servant....
also entered the fur trade and later served with distinction during the War of 1812.