French-Canadian families settled on the banks of the Riviere aux Cygnes in 1816 and declared their faith by celebrating mass in their homes when visited by missionary Redemptorist Fathers. This Swan Creek Mission became a mission of St. Francis Church, Ecorse, and a log church stood just north of this site in 1838. In 1852 the parish of St. Charles Borromeo was established here, and parishioners dedicated their wooden frame church in the spring of 1853. On April 15, 1882, Bishop Borgess laid the cornerstone of this church, designed to serve parish spiritual needs for generations to come.