Fort St. Joseph (Niles) (Niles, Michigan)
Niles · Michigan · French and Indian War, Pontiac's War, American Revolutionary War
History & Significance
Fort St. Joseph originated as part of the French government's response to the Iroquois Wars of the late 17th century. The Governor General of New France, the Marquis de Denonville, wanted to strengthen French ties with the Miami Indians along the St. Joseph River to help alleviate the Iroquois threat to the French colony's western posts.
Père Claude-Jean Allouez established the Mission de Saint-Joseph in the 1680s and ministered to the local Native Americans, who were primarily Potawatomi and Miami. The fort was a significant stronghold of the fur trade at the southern end of Lake Michigan.
After Great Britain defeated France in the Seven Years' War, the French transferred the fort to British forces, who occupied it in October 1761. On May 25, 1763, during Pontiac's War, the fort, manned by 14 soldiers from the 60th Regiment of Foot, was captured by Potawatomi warriors.
They killed most of the garrison outright, and took the commander, Ensign Francis Schlosser, captive along with three other soldiers. During the American Revolutionary War, pro-British traders used Fort St. Joseph to equip the Miami, Potawatomi, and other British-allied Native Americans.
In 1780, a Patriot force from Cahokia, Illinois, led by Jean-Baptiste Hamelin and Lieutenant Thomas Brady, raided the fort. In 1781 an expedition of French and Native American subjects from Spanish St. Louis claimed Fort St. Joseph for the King of Spain.
They plundered the Fort and promptly returned to St. Louis. The fort site was not rediscovered until 1998, and an archeology excavation has been underway since 2002.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- French fur trading post established 1691 on Saint Joseph River
- Captured by Potawatomi during Pontiac's War, raided by Spanish in 1781
- Ongoing archaeological excavations with rare artifacts including 1730s Jesuit medallion
- Museum exhibits interpret French, Native American, and Revolutionary War period history
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._Joseph_(Niles,_Michigan)
- https://nilesmi.org/departments_and_divisions/niles_history_center/new_page.php
- https://frenchheritagesociety.org/projects/fort-st-joseph/
- https://missar.org/fort-st-joseph/
- https://wmich.edu/fortstjoseph/about/fort-history
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=1628