Pontiac
1720 - 1769

Chief Pontiac was probably born in 1720 at the Maumee River. His father was an Ottawa chief and his mother Ojibwa. Pontiac became a great leader to the Ottawa tribe. He organized resistance against the English together with several other tribes in the Great Lakes area. It has been called Pontiac's war and it went on between 1763-1764.

Pontiac became a chief for the Ottawa people in 1755. Soon he became head chief over 3 tribes consisting of Ottawa, Potawatomi, and the Ojibwa. The Indians fit in very well with the French as they traded furs, weapon, ammunition, food and tobacco with each other. In 1760 the English had conquered the French and taken their Forts. Sir Jeffrey Amherst, Major Robert Rogers and British colonial troups then occupied Fort Detroit, and the English also took nearby Forts. Many Englishmen disliked the indians and treated them contemptuous.

In 1762 Pontiac gathered all local tribes in an attempt to try to drive the English off the Indian land. The English called this "Pontiac's Conspiracy." Pontiac's strategy was that each of the 18 local tribes should attack the Fort closest to their own village, and this should happen in May 1762. Pontiac planned to take Fort Detroit, todayīs Detroit, Michigan on the 7:th of May 1762, but his plan was given away and the English learned about it. Therefore Pontiac didīnt attack, but he surronded the Fort and besieged it. On the 31:st of July Pontiac was victorious in the battle of Bloody Run at Fort Detroit, but reinforcement from the English came to the rescue and Pontiac withdraw. The tribes occupied 8 of the 12 Forts and drew away the Englishmen, and the buildings were left in ruins.

In 1764 the English took back much of what they had lost and Pontiac was forced to peace and in July 1766 a piece treaty was signed at Fort de Chartres in Illinois. Pontiac was killed 3 years later in April 1769 by a Peoria indian and as a revenge the Ottawa indians killed many Peoria indians.