About Me
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From 600-to-230 million years ago, Monroe was on the bottom of a large shallow sea that covered much of central North America. Today a peak back to that time can be seen in the limestone rocks that form layers along the sides of the North Dixie Highway Underpass. Because of the area's abundance of food and easy transport found along the River Raisin and Lake Erie, there probably were people who used Monroe as either a crossroads, camp site, or village for many hundreds of years before the first European explorers visited the area. In 1784 American forces Colonel and Frenchman Francois (Francis) Navarre was the first known European to come to Monroe. On June 3, 1785 Potawatomi Native American Indian chiefs signed a deed giving Colonel Navarre land on the south bank of the River Raisin. Navarre's homestead was located where the present day Sawyer Homestead stands. The small settlement found itself geographically between forces that were trying to shape the destinies of two nations through the War of 1812. Along with the decisive U.S. Naval victory by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry at the Battle of Lake Erie, the British were pushed back to the Thames River near present-day London, Canada where the remaining Kentucky Militiamen engaged the combined British Army/Native Indian force, defeating them to shouts of "Remember the Raisin!" The defeat of the British Army at London, Ontario ended the Northwest Campaign of the War of 1812. Civil War Major General George Armstrong Custer first came to Monroe with his half sister Lydia in 1849 when he was ten-years-old to attend school two-years at the New Dublin primary school. He went back to his parents in New Rumley, Ohio. In 1853, at the age of 14, George Custer returned to Monroe for two-years of study at the Stebbins Academy. While in Monroe this second time he met a young Elizabeth (Libbie) Bacon. His impression of Ms. Bacon was lasting enough for him to return eleven-years later, during the height of the Civil War, in 1864 and marry her. Custer graduated as a second lieutenant from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1861. During the Civil War the young Custer fought as a cavalry officer at the Battle of Bull Run, Gettysburg, and numerous other battles, drilled new recruits and helped defend the nation's capital, and served in the Army of the Potomac. After the War Between the States, Lieutenant Colonel Custer carried out War Department policy in regard to the various Native American tribes in the West as settlers began a massive migration west that would put them in direct competition for land and food that sustained wandering Indian tribes. On June 25-26, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel Custer led 262-U.S. Army cavalry soldiers and scouts in battle against a force of more than 1,500 warriors of the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes. The Indian confederation killed all in Custer's attacking detachment. Few communities are fortunate enough to experience the drama, excitement, and notoriety generated by a presidential visit. Monroe has experienced the honor during visits by four presidents through its history.
These are just a few of the people and events that have formed the legacy that Monroe's residents continue to build upon each day. It is likely that the confluence of geography and the ingenuity of our residents will continue to keep Monroe at the crossroads of opportunity.Information available online at : http://www.ci.monroe.mi.us/index.asp?NID=38
