Fort Miami (Kekionga, Indiana)

Kekionga · Indiana

Quick BriefA French trading post established around 1706 by Jean Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, Fort Miami (originally called Fort St. Philippe or Fort des Miamis) became a palisade fort that controlled a critical portage linking the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River Valley. The fort played a pivotal role in the French and Indian Wars, Pontiac's War, and the Northwest Indian War.

History & Significance

Vincennes established a small trading post around 1706 at Kekionga, where the St. Joseph River and St. Marys River merge to form the Maumee River in Northeastern Indiana. A palisaded fort was built on this strategic site in 1722 and named Fort Saint Philippe des Miamis.

The French militarized the post and garrisoned it with 20 to 30 soldiers. Located at the portage and confluence that Chief Little Turtle described as the "glorious gate," it served as a natural gateway to trade routes and a stronghold on the lucrative fur trade.

In 1747, British-allied Huron warriors under Chief Nicholas found it undermanned and sacked and burned it to the ground. A force of French and Indians under Captain Pierre Blainville rebuilt the fort in Summer 1749.

In November 1760, at the close of the French and Indian War, the French garrison formally surrendered Fort Miami to Ensign Holmes of Great Britain. The British lost control in 1763 during Pontiac's Rebellion, when the fort was destroyed by the Indians. No active fort existed at Kekionga for three decades until American General Anthony Wayne established Fort Wayne in 1794, following the Battle of Fallen Timbers.