I believe that de Tocqueville departed from Detroit on this date 178 years ago to
travel the Saginaw Trail to Flint and Saginaw. de Tocqueville believed that he
had reached the limit of the civilized world when he got to Detroit. He was so
convinced of this that he entitled his chapter in Democracy in American about
his travels to Saginaw and back, Quinze jours au desert. He presents a
fascinating account of his travels in Michigan and was extremely pleased
to find that the Indians near Flint spoke French. Does anyone know if de
Tocqueville met Gabriel Richard in Detroit?