such as the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Kickapoo, but they would have been transient tribes, or found in very small numbers. All native Thumb area tribes are members of the Algonquian peoples, a large language family. Other tribes who migrated later into the area included the Wyandot (Huron), an Iroquoian language-speaking people; and the Ottawa. The displacement of native peoples took place in many areas during the settling of North America. Historical events The Port Huron area is one of oldest European settlements in the state of Michigan, first settled by French colonists. Colonial-era forts such as Fort Gratiot (north of Port Huron) and Fort Sinclair (near present-day St. Clair) were built along the St. Clair River. Bad Axe was named so because Captain Rudolph Papst found an old axe in 1861, when he was clearing land for the present-day Huron County seat. The great Thumb Fire took place on September 5, 1881, in the Thumb area of Michigan. The fire, which burned over a million acres (4,000 km2) in less than a day, was the consequence of drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, the after-effects of the Port Huron Fire of 1871, and the ecological damage wrought by the era's logging techniques of clear cutting forests. The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 was a November blizzard with hurricane-force winds; it devastated the Great Lakes Basin in the United States Midwest and the Canadian province of Ontario. The storm also battered and overturned large ships on four of the five Great Lakes, particularly Lake Huron. Notable people (by town) More comprehensive lists are available at individual cities, villages, etc. See local towns of interest at the bottom of the page for links. Brown City Robert Teet – Wrestler, author Cass City Brewster H. Shaw – retired United States Air Force colonel and former NASA astronaut. Deckerville Gabriel Rheaume – Writer – The Shores We Walk Harbor Beach Frank Murphy – Detroit mayor, Michigan governor, U.S. Attorney General and Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Lapeer Marguerite de Angeli, children's book author, Newbery Award winner Danelle Gay, Miss Michigan USA 2006 Terry Knight, singer, DJ, manager, Terry Knight and the Pack, Grand Funk Railroad Jake Long, offensive lineman, Miami Dolphins Terry Nichols, accomplice in the Oklahoma City bombing Jim Slater, hockey player Atlanta Thrashers Port Huron Thomas Edison – Inventor and entrepreneur settled in Port Huron from 1854 to 1863. Obadiah Gardner –