Fort Saint Joseph (2)

Fort Saint Joseph (2) (1697-1781) - A French Colonial Fort established in 1697 in Niles, Berrien County, Michigan. Occupied by the British after the French & Indian War and by the Americans after the Revolutionary War. Abandoned in 1781.

Fort Saint Joseph (2) History

Established by the French in 1697 along the bank of the Saint Joseph River at the Kankakee portage to control access between the Illinois River and Lake Michigan. The fort was surrendered to the British at the end of the French & Indian War.

During Pontiac's War, the fort was captured by Potawatomi Indians on 25 May 1763. They took the British commander, Ensign Francis Schlosser prisoner and killed most of the 15 man garrison. They took the ensign to Detroit to be ransomed. The fort was returned to British control in 1764. After the war the post became an important trading post.

The post was occupied by Spanish raiders for a single day on 12 Feb 1781.

The fort fell under United States control after the Revolutionary War but fell into disuse.

Current Status

Marker and archeological remains in Niles, Berrien County, Michigan

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 2374113

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Location: Niles, Berrien County, Michigan. Maps & Images Lat: 41.81300 Long: -86.260799 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 682'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 424

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Saint Joseph
• Wikipedia - Fort Saint Joseph

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