IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom, 2275 Platt Road
The nearly forgotten French period of Michigan history helped to frame our modern life. Michigan’s cultural heritage is deeply influenced in many of our French place names, foods and daily lives. What was life like in 1700’s “New France”? Join us as Charlie Shelton examines this dynamic period: the people, the furs, the culture, and the commerce of 1750 Fort Michilimackinac and colonial Michigan. Charlie Shelton is a Great Lakes historian with a special interest in Michigan’s Indigenous, French, British, and American experiences. Charlie is a descendent of the Chippewa Metis Nolan family. The Nolans were successful fur traders, interpreters, and educators in the Upper Great Lakes region and beyond. As a citizen of the Metis Nation of Ontario, Charlie feels a sense of gratitude when he shares his family history and its place in the context of Michigan history.
