Happy Birthday, Detroit! Founded in 1701, the Motor City turns 323 years old today

DETROIT (WWJ) -- In the words of Detroit's own Stevie Wonder, "Happy Birthday to ya!"

It's been more than three centuries since the French landed on the shores of what would become the city of Detroit.

On this day in 1701, the French arrived to set up a fur trading fort on the Detroit River. They were led by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac.

The fort spanned from the current Hart Plaza to Fort Street in downtown Detroit. Last year, City Historian, Jamon Jordan, told WWJ about the city's rich history:

"When the French arrived in 1701, on July 24, 1701, led by Antoine Laumet de La Mothe Cadillac [in French accent], and of course we say Cadillac, this Frenchman, when he comes to set up for Pontchartrain du Detroit, which is a fur trading port, he is on what they call détroit, the strait," Jordan said. "So, what we call it is the Detroit River, but it's really a strait. It connects Lake Erie with Lake St. Clair."

Jordan said the city was also home to the first Catholic church in Michigan and the second in the U.S., Ste. Anne’s Church.

Jordan also added the city was a major stop on the Underground Railroad due to Michigan being a free state and its border with Canada.

"They are fur traders, but, of course, they have been knee-deep in the slave trade," Jordan explained. "So, we have Africans, Indigenous people who are already here and Frenchmen, all here at the beginning of what became the city of Detroit. Decades later, Detroit would become pretty prominent as a station on the Underground Railroad."

If you'd like to read more on the city of Detroit's history, visit the Detroit Historical Society website.

Happy Birthday, Detroit! 323 looks good on you.