Fort Sandoské had been. The English Fort Sandusky was not built until 1761 and it was constructed in a different location southeast of the bay. The future site of Venice, Ohio developed near here. That fort was overrun and destroyed in 1763 during Pontiac's War. There was much confusion about the affiliation of trading posts and forts around Sandusky Bay. The French briefly used Fort Sandoské to secure supply and communication between Fort Niagara and Fort Detroit. It was already abandoned by 1754, when French lieutenant and engineer Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry passed through the area with forces to reinforce Fort Detroit.
Fort Detroit Church and the center of what became the Petite Côte settlement of French colonists by the mid-18th century. Later encompassed by Sandwich (now Windsor), Petite Côte was the oldest continually occupied European settlement in what later became Ontario. The first major conflict of Fort Detroit occurred in March 1706 while Cadillac was away. The Ottawa heard a rumor about a Huron tribe ambush. The Ottawa attacked and killed several members of the Miami tribe. The Miami sought safety in the fort, where they were defended by the soldiers. The French killed about 30 Ottawa warriors when they attacked the fort.