DE LERY, JOSEPH GASPARD CHAUSSEGROS (21 July 1721-11 Dec. 1797), a French lieutenant, described in his private journal the earliest recorded account of the complete transit of the south shore of Lake Erie. In it he noted the first recorded encampment at the CUYAHOGA RIVER, on 2 Aug. 1754, and drew a sketch of the river, which he called "Riviere a Seguin or Blanch, also Goyahague." The transit of the south shore occurred in the summer of 1754. In the latter part of Apr. 1754, de Lery was ordered by the Marquis Dequesne to journey to Detroit to reinforce the garrison and to serve there as second in command under Sieur Pierre Joseph de Celoron de Blainville. He departed Presque Isle on 30 July 1754 with a force of 285 men in 27 canoes and arrived at Ft. Detroit on 6 Aug. His journal includes detailed directions, distances, descriptions of the shoreline, and drawings of numerous rivers and creeks. While earlier descriptions of the south shore of Lake Erie exist, they are limited to either end of the lake and exclude the Cuyahoga River.
Last Modified: 10 Jul 1997 05:11:08 PM- Related Article(s)