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Peter Crebassa Collection

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MS-034

Collection Scope and Content Summary

The collection consists primarily of business correspondence received by Peter Crebassa. It also includes some personal correspondence, outgoing correspondence, financial records, and several photographs. The collection documents his involvement with the fur companies, Chippewa Indians, Catholic Missions, and federal government and offers a unique view of the relationships between these institutions as well as demonstrating the significance of the fur trade to the early settlement of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.

Dates

  • 1831 - 1891

Language of Material

English and French

Access

Available for use in the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Various copying restrictions apply. Guidelines are available from Michigan Technological University Archives & Copper Country Historical Collections.

Biography

Part Indian, part French, Peter Crebassa was born in 1807 in the Red River County of Canada. In 1829, he became the agent of the American Fur Company at Mackinac. Crebessa married Nancy Roussain in 1837 at La Pointe and the following year they settled in L'Anse. He became postmaster in 1852 and left the American Fur Company to create an independent trading post soon after. In addition to his business activities, Crebassa was responsible for bringing Father Frederic Baraga (later the first bishop of Upper Michigan) to Lake Superior in 1843. Peter Crebassa died in L'Anse in 1898.

Extent

0.45 Cubic Feet (1 manuscript box (legal size))

Abstract

Part Indian, part French, Peter Crebassa (1807-1898) was a fur trader and postmaster who spent most of his life in L'Anse. In addition to his business activities, Crebassa was responsible for bringing Father Frederic Baraga (later the first bishop of Upper Michigan) to Lake Superior in 1843. The collection consists primarily of business correspondence received by Peter Crebassa. It also includes some personal correspondence, outgoing correspondence, financial records, and several photographs.

Arrangement

Files are arranged chronologically.

Acquisition

The collection was donated by Roy W. Drier in 1970.

Title
Peter Crebassa Collection
Author
Daniel Michelson
Date
Mar 2014
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
Funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections Repository

Contact:
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton 49931 U.S.A. US