King George's War

King George's War (1744-1748) was the North American part of the War of the Austrian Succession. It is especially important to the history of Canada, although parts certainly took place in the American colonies. The British Navy was quickly able to suppress French Trade and Montreal was aching for trade goods. Because of the lack of trade goods, enterprising Pennsylvanian, New York, and Virginian fur traders exploited the fact that French traders could not pay for furs. This began shifting the fur trade in the Ohio River Valley especially towards the British.

In the St. Lawrence River Region

Louis le Gardeur de Repentigny made many raids against British settlements in New York.

In the Great Lakes region

Seeking better trade deals, group of Wyandot Indians (Huron) led by Chief Nicolas moved and established a settlement (1738) on the Sandusky Bay in northern Ohio. In 1745, Nicolas allowed the British to build a fort there. After entreaties from the Iroquois to attack the French at Detroit and get involved in the larger conflict between Britain and France, the Wyandot attacked a French trading party in June 1747 killing all five traders. This ambush alerted the French commandant at Detroit of the shifting Wyandot alliances and he began preparing the fort. The Wyandot still living in Michigan quickly disavowed any knowledge of or sympathy with Chief Nicolas.

Trouble among the Ojibwa at Michilimackinac quickly ended when the French sent reinforcements to the fort.

Random violence in Ohio continued against the French through the remainder of 1747. By the winter, realizing that the rest of his people had abandoned him, Chief Nicolas led his band southward further into Ohio. The British also abandoned the fort at Sandusky.