Fort: Fort St. Joseph, Niles, MI (1691)

Built (1691) → Fort St. Joseph → Abandoned (1795).

Built by: French

Military Use: Trading post.

Built as a trading post on the lower Saint Joseph River at a branch of the Old Sauk Trail, a major east-west native american trail and the north-south Grand River train meet.

The fort was a strong-hold for the fur trade. The British took over the fort and used it during the Revolutionary War. Spain briefly raided the fort and took it over in 1781 but it turned back to British control. The fort was abandoned after 1795.