Fort Joseph is close to the St. Joseph River in Niles, Michigan. It was established as a French mission and later adapted as a fur-trading post. The fort was manned by ten soldiers, a commandant, blacksmith, Catholic priest, interpreter, and additional households. As a mission it serviced Potawatomi and Miami Indians.
After the French and Indian War the fort changed hands from the French to the British. The British maintained it as a fur trade post. During the Revolutionary War the British used it to supply loyalist who fought against the Continentals. The British ran the fort after the war, until 1795 when the Americans conducted the Northwest Indian Wars which is considered the start of the American Indian Wars. The British abandoned the fort and it fell to decay. The fort was not rediscovered until 1998 and has since been excavated. A Jesuit medal was found at the site.
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