The Disparity Between the Frenchman and the Cascascian

In 1698, a Frenchman named Jean Bernard immigrated to Cascascia. He set up his trading post on the edge of town where it would be easily accessible to trappers moving up and down the western edge of Illinois. It was common in those early days for European business owners to hire local Native Americans to do the manual labor. But this man was different from most of the other Cascascians because he spoke both native tongue and French. His daughter Marie fell in love with him as well, something that her father was strongly opposed to.