The area was long occupied by Native Americans, including the historic
Potawatomi. They had trading relations with
French-Canadians in the area. The Frenchtown area reflected the ethnicity of its first European settlers, French Canadians who took land along the banks of the
River Raisin as early as 1784. There had been other French colonial settlements closer to
Detroit and on both sides of the
Detroit River. Their descendants are known as
Muskrat French. Around the same time, the
Sandy Creek Settlement was founded near this by Joseph Porlier Benec. The United States acquired this area, which had been considered part of British Canadian territory after the
Treaty of Paris (1783) settling the American Revolutionary War. It was specifically part of
state claims (from 1783); the
Northwest Territory (1787);
Indiana Territory (1803);
Michigan Territory (1805); and, finally, the
State of Michigan (1837). During the
War of 1812, the area was the site of the
Battle of Frenchtown, in which 397 Americans were killed by the coalition of
British Army and
Native Americans; this was the highest number of American fatalities of any battle during the war. The battlefield site today is within the
River Raisin National Battlefield Park, which was designated in 2009 and falls within the present-day city limits of
Monroe. In 1817, that portion of Frenchtown was renamed and incorporated as the village of Monroe, named in honor of President
James Monroe's planned visit to the Michigan Territory later that year. In the same year, the village of Monroe was named as the
county seat of the newly created
Monroe County. Monroe was incorporated as a city in 1837. At that time, the remaining area known as Frenchtown was reorganized as a
township, encompassing much of the northern portion of the county which was the area from the River Raisin to the
Huron River at
Wayne County's southern border. Shortly afterwards, the northern portion of the township was broken off to form
Ash Township. Later, by 1867,
Berlin Charter Township was formed from another territory of the township. Additionally, the city of Monroe annexed pieces of the southern portion of Frenchtown several times. As a result, the boundary between the current Frenchtown Charter Township and the city limits of Monroe is jagged. ==Communities==