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.
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.
Marker is on State Park Road 1.5 miles east of North Dixie Highway, in the median.
Courtesy hmdb.org
