Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, Ulrick Jean-Pierre

Although little is known about Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable’s early life, historians agree that he was born in Saint Marc, Saint-Domingue, in 1745. Around 1764, he moved to New Orleans and established a trading business that quickly expanded to the Great Lakes region. Pointe du Sable eventually settled in the area now known as Chicago. Although his role in the development of the Chicago River was not recognized until the latter half of the 20th century, he is now widely considered the first permanent resident and founder of Chicago. The site of his original homestead in Pioneer Court, Chicago, is now a National Historical Landmark. As an early immigrant to this country, Pointe du Sable epitomizes the ways that Haitian-born individuals influenced the growth of the ever-expanding United States.