What is now the city of Detroit used to be fertile land, lush with vegetation and wildlife that sustained indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Then, only just over three centuries ago, came the French, the British — and their wars, smallpox and famines. Immigrants from around the world also came to the settlement along the Detroit River, bringing with them a variety of cultures and beliefs. 

In 1807, several Native American nations signed the Treaty of Detroit with representatives of the newly created Michigan Territory, ceding historic Native lands to the United States. The complex political history of the Detroit area — often hopeful, often painful — has continued on this land ever since.