The Mandan Indians west of the Great Lakes begin to trade in horses descended from those brought to Texas by the Spanish. Itinerant Assiniboine Indians bring them from Mandan settlements to their own territories southwest of Lake Winnipeg. 1745 Massachusetts Governor William Shirley takes the French fortress of Louisbourg. Britain founds Halifax to counter the French presence at Louisbourg. The Ojibwa begin to emerge as a distinct tribal amalgamation of smaller independent bands.
German immigrants begin to arrive in numbers at Halifax.
1754 Beginning of the French and Indian War in America, though not officially declared for another two years. Britain scatters the Nova Scotia Acadians throughout other North American colonies. The first post office opens in Halifax. The Marquis de Montcalm assumes a troubled command of French troops in North America. 1758 Generals Jeffrey Amherst and James Wolfe take Louisbourg.