Michel Brisbois (October 1, 1759 – April 1, 1837) was a French-Canadian voyageur who was active in the upper Mississippi River valley as early as 1781.
Originally a fur trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, he eventually settled in Prairie du Chien, in what became Wisconsin.
Still a trader at heart, he noted the lack of stability in early government currency, and encouraged the use of bread (from his bakery) as a unit of exchange.
Still a trader at heart, he noted the lack of stability in early government currency, and encouraged the use of bread (from his bakery) as a unit of exchange.
[citation needed] In 1819 Brisbois was appointed associate justice for Crawford County by US Governor Lewis Cass of Michigan Territory.
In 1785 Brisbois had married a Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) woman, in what may have been an informal or "country marriage" typical in that period between traders and Native American women.