Although only 10 miles from French Fort Detroit, founded in 1701, Warren was not reached by settlers for 100 years. Red Run, a branch of the Clinton River, served as the route fur traders and early pioneers followed by canoe. It also provided the pathway for the Moravian Trail into the interior for settlement and homesteading. In 1785, Moravian missionaries and local Indians built this 23 1/2 mile wagon road. At the time, the territory was marshland, and Red Run and similar waterways provided drainage outlets that dried the land and opened the area for forestry and farming.