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A historical perspective
Frenchman Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac founded Detroit.
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Early 1600s
The French explore the forests around St. Lawrence Valley and begin to exploit the area for furs.
Mid-1600s
To the south and east, the Dutch and English begin to settle on the eastern seaboard of what is now the United States. Although Indian tribes confine European settlement to the area east of the Appalachians, the French are able to penetrate the heart of the continent via the Ottawa River.
1670
The French build the first chain of Great Lakes forts to protect the fur trade near the Mission of St. Ignace at the Straits of Mackinac.
1701
The first permanent settlement in this region is established at Detroit by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.
1759
A showdown between the British and the French for control of the Great Lakes ends with the British capture of Quebec. The British maintain control of the Great Lakes during the American Revolution and, at the close of the conflict, the Great Lakes become the boundary between the new U.S. Republic and what remains of British North America.
1792 to 1800
The population of Upper Canada increases from 20,000 to 60,000.
1800s
Recreation in the Great Lakes region becomes an important economic and social activity in the age of travel in the 19th century.
1812
The final military challenge for the wealth of the Great Lakes region comes with the War of 1812. The war's end revives commerce and paves the way for more population growth.
1820
Commercial fishing begins and expands about 20 percent per year. The largest harvests are recorded in 1889 and 1899, at about 147 million pounds. The heyday of commercial fishing ends in the 1950s. It is now limited by a federal ban on the sale of fish affected by toxic contaminants.
In the 1800s, steamboats began traveling the Great Lakes.Mid-1800s
Most of the Great Lakes region where farming is possible is settled. The initial large-scale clearing of land causes soils to wash into the lakes, clogging tributaries and deltas, altering the flow of rivers and destroying fish habitats and spawning areas. The population swells: 400,000 people in Michigan, 300,000 in Wisconsin and half a million in Upper Canada. Commercial logging begins in Upper Canada. A few years later, logging begins in Michigan, and operations in Minnesota and Wisconsin soon follow.
1860s
Steam engines appear on the Great Lakes. Paper-making from pulpwood develops.
Early 1900s
Industrial waste, sewage and other wastes continue to pollute and contaminate fish and wildlife in the Great Lakes. The United States and Canada set up the International Joint Commission in 1909 to study topics such as water quality.
1920s-1940s
New chemical substances come into use such as PCBs and DDT.
1950s and 1960s
The parasitic sea lamprey devastates fisheries. The binational Great Lakes Fishery Commission is established to find a means of controlling the lamprey. The first sulfite process paper mill is built on the Welland Canal. Eventually, Canada and the U.S. become the world's leading producers of pulp and paper products, causing contamination from mercury. The use of mercury is banned from the industry in the 1970s; paper production continues.
The Cuyahoga River fire helped galvanize anti-pollution sentiment.1969
Oil and debris on the surface of the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland erupts into flames on June 22, and burns for 25 minutes. The episode helps spur pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
1972
The water quality agreement establishes common water quality standards to be achieved in both the United States and Canada. The chief objective is reduction of phosphorus levels in discharges from large sewage treatment plants. Other objectives include elimination of oil, visible solid wastes and other nuisance conditions.
1990s to now
The zebra mussel adds to the woes of the Great Lakes. Other invasive species enter the waterways. Recreational boating and tourism are major industries on the Great Lakes.
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Wikipedia Encyclopedia; Michigan Natural Resources Magazine: A Tribute To The Great Lakes: May-June 1986: Big Boats For Big Lakes: Jacques LeeStrang
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