--Made of brass, most likely in France, ca. 1720-1750

--1 inch long, with depictions of St. Ignatius Loyola & Saint Mary with Latin inscriptions

--Found in ruins of Fort Michilimackinac; in collection of Mackinac State Historic Parks, Michigan

A small brass religious medallion found in the house of a French fur trader inside a fortress on the remote Straits of Mackinac shows the immense power of small numbers of merchants and missionaries to control sprawling networks of diplomacy and trade, stretching from Europe all the way into the deep interior of North America, and to sway the course of wars and imperial power struggles.

Special thanks to Mackinac State Historic Parks and Dr. Lynn Evans for their help in producing this lecture.