Sandy Creek Settlement

Joseph Porlier Benac, Sandy Creek's first settler, was granted a tract of land here by the Potawatomi Indians Aug. 3, 1780. By the time of the War of 1812, sixteen homes lined the banks of the creek.<br><br> Retreating Indians swept through the settlement after the defeat of the British and Indians at the first Battle of the River Raisin, Jan. 18, 1813. Angered by the pro-American remarks of Jean Solo and Rene LaBeau, these Indians shot them. LaBeau's frightened young children ran two and a half miles to the River Raisin, seeking the protection of the American army. The Americans ordered the Sandy Creek settlement abandoned and it never was completely rebuilt.