Green Bay is one of the oldest European settlements in the upper Midwest. The French explorer Jean Nicolet is believed to have arrived at the mouth of the Fox River in 1634, making contact with the Menominee and Ho-Chunk peoples — one of the earliest European arrivals in the western Great Lakes region. The site became a center of the fur trade, and Fort Howard was established here by the United States Army in 1816.
Today the historic area around the Fox River mouth offers interpretive signs and a waterfront walkway, with the Heritage Hill museum nearby providing more context. The Fort Howard history itself is explored at Heritage Hill State Historical Park. Walking the riverfront near downtown, it's easy to understand why this particular spot mattered: the Fox River provided a highway deep into the Wisconsin interior, and the bay offered shelter and access to Lake Michigan.