Ever since 1805....

French Catholic priest Father Gabriel Richard (1767 – 1832) originated Detroit's motto of regeneration after the fire of 1805 burned the city, including his recently opened school, to the ground: Speramus meliora; resurget cineribus--"We hope for better things; it will arise from the ashes." Ever since then, Detroit and Detroiters have repeatedly defied the destructive toll of history to raise their city out of the ashes and restore it to prosperity. In 2009, the people of Detroit have the same determined will as did the small number of Detroit residents who rebuilt the city after the fire of 1805.