A highly detailed, but dated, biography of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the founder of Detroit.

“Antoine had so many Spanish characteristics, the laughing irony, the quenchless ardor, the chivalry; he was so much the fierce fighter, the devout Catholic yet independent of priestly control, that we suspect he must have had Spanish blood of the Pyrenees from his mother’s side of the house.” pg 45

You would not believe how difficult it was to find information about this man. So many sources I examined contradicted each other or cast him as a villain or hero to the point where the actual history was obscured behind opinion.

Agnes Laut falls more into the hero-worship category, but I found her citations of historical documents to be more of use than most of the online articles I could find, which didn’t cite any.

That being said, like every other human in history, Cadillac was a complicated figure and I don’t think Laut does readers any favors by painting him as an unassailable hero. He would engage in illegal trade because everyone else was doing it. He believed Europeans were superior to the Native American population.

He was a man of his times and yet, he was the visionary and founder of Detroit and, for a time, the governor of the Louisiana Territory. He did great things and not-so-great things.

“The stockades of the new fort at Detroit enclosed sixty square yards. The post lay about forty steps back from the water-front. Such was the germ of a city that in little more than two centuries was to number with its suburbs nearly a million and a half in population. pg 140

Goodness of the man aside, I had much to learn about Cadillac.

“Cadillac would never tolerate a man in his company not dressed spick and span as a naval man in spotless white. He, himself, set the example in costume faultless from hat to high boots.” pg 63

The history of Cadillac also shows a curious side of the court of Louis XIV of France, otherwise known as the Sun King. The politics of the court caused Cadillac to be imprisoned for a time, but the king kept releasing him and giving him more authority. He was thrown in the Bastille for six months and then given the Order of St. Louis.

“(Louis XIV) would grant favors only with the condescending generosity and pomp of a Grand Monarch; so the Court was duly assembled to witness the presentation of the commission at a morning audience. Cadillac had to kiss His Majesty’s hand and back away as from the presence of a god.” pg 121

As an outsider looking in, it’s confusing how quickly a man’s stars can change. But at the same time, the shifting sands of court favor and intrigue emerge in the ups and downs of Cadillac’s life as well. All in all, it makes for a fascinating history.

“Let his (Cadillac’s) name stand and take its place as time goes on.” pg 286

Recommended for history readers with some reservations. Keep in mind this was published in 1931.

Thanks for reading!

Here’s the History Guy episode I wrote about Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac:

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