One of the oldest communities in the state, Monroe was founded in 1780 by the French at the site of a Native American village where the River Raisin enters Lake Erie. The settlement, originally called Frenchtown, was the scene of the River Raisin Massacre in 1813 during the War of 1812. Gen. George Custer lived in Monroe for many years before his Army service. A 1920 bronze statue of Custer titled “Sighting the Enemy” is on the southwest corner of N. Monroe Street and W. Elm Avenue. Learn More...