Amherstburg – Canada

About Amherstburg

Located in Essex County, Ontario, Canada, Amherstburg is a town that overlooks the mouth of the Detroit River. Fort Malden was built in 1796 and served as a catalyst for population growth in the area. National Historic Site status has been awarded to the fort.

Around 25 kilometers (16 miles) south of Detroit, Michigan in the United States, Wyandotte borders the communities of Grosse Ile Township, Brownstown Charter Township, Trenton, and Gibraltar. It is counted as a metro area in the Windsor metro area.

During the colonial era, French settlers established modest farms along the Canadian side of the Detroit River. The northern riverbank is where the town of Petite Côte was established.

After the American Revolutionary War ended in 1783 and the British lost control of the Thirteen Colonies, they built Fort Malden to protect their interests on Lake Erie’s shores. A garrison lived there. This, along with the Crown’s gift of land in Upper Canada to Loyalists (now called United Empire Loyalists) as reward for service in the military or recompense for losses in the Thirteen Colonies, spurred growth in the region.

The Crown had an interest in seeing Upper Canada prosper and grow in population as well. Several of the homes in the new town were constructed in the French style popular a century ago, lending the area an air of antiquity. Several of the early colonists who came here spoke French; they were likely the descendants of soldiers and traders who had once lived at Fort Detroit. However, later immigrants from Quebec in the 19th century became known as Canadian French, and the former were referred to as Fort Detroit French. Their Catholic church was named Saint. Jean.