Croghan's War: A Story about the Origin of Chicago (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781462040285)

It is 1742, and a penniless twenty-year-old arrives in the Northwest Territory. A wild man in the midst of a wild country, George Croghan is the first trader to venture deep into French territory, startling the Seneca Indians with his courage.

As he enters a village on the Cuyahoga carrying a variety of goods on his horses, he soon wins over the Indians with his entertaining Irish stories and easygoing, friendly manner. Instead of killing him, the Senecas build him a trading cabin inside their village where he soon becomes immersed in their daily lives and struggles. Now a part of the tribe, Croghan summons the help of the Hurons, Miamis, and the Senecas, to drive the French traders out of their territory. As the chaos of the French and Indian War swirls around him, Croghan strategizes with the Indians and takes an incredible personal journey that eventually leads to the Massacre at Fort Dearborn in 1812.

Croghan's War weaves genuine history around a compelling tale rich in Indian culture, a family tragedy, and a fierce battle that decided the fate of its innocent victims.