(Above) A bust of Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable was erected just north of the Michigan Avenue bridge over the Chicago River on Saturday. The bronze sculpture, mounted on a granite pedestal and standing six feet tall, was donated by Chicago’s Haitian-American community. Point du Sable was a Haitian-born fur trader who was the first settler in Chicago who was not a native American. His first trading post in 1779 was located on what is now Pioneer Court, very close to where the sculpture is located now.

In 2006, the city council recognized Point du Sable as Chicago’s founder. 42nd Ward Alderman Brendan Reilly is proposing the Michigan Avenue Bridge be renamed in honor of Point du Sable. (Click on image to view larger version.)