By Staff
NILES – Niles has a rich and varied history which began over 300 years ago. Here is an opportunity for YOU to be a part of this history. Designs are being sought that will identify Fort St. Joseph and its history and culture.
This design or logo may be used on signs, stationery, website, and in other media to identify Fort St. Joseph. The design may be hand drawn or painted or generated on a computer. Anyone with some artistic ability is encouraged to submit his/her work.
In 2007 the City of Niles established the Fort St. Joseph Archeological Advisory Committee to recommend and promote the best course of action for the archaeological investigation of Fort St. Joseph. It is hoped that financial, educational and archaeological planning will ultimately lead to the exploration and interpretation of the fort's artifacts and the accurate reconstruction of Fort St. Joseph.
The Native Americans inhabited the area before the arrival of the French in the 1680s. A Jesuit Mission was established and in 1691 the French constructed Fort St. Joseph on the banks of the St. Joseph River, at that time known as the River of the Miamis.
The location of this fort was archeologically established near South Riverfront Park by Western Michigan University in 1998. The French occupied the area between 1691 and 1760, the end of French and Indian War. The British briefly garrisoned the fort between November 1761 and May 1763. The British considered the area theirs until 1796 when the Americans assumed control; and early American settlers arrived in 1823. During both the French and British periods Native Americans lived in the area and a flourishing fur trade developed.
The area was an important transportation hub with the Sauk Trail (U.S. 12 today) connecting Chicago and Wisconsin to Detroit and Fort Malden in Canada. A five-mile portage near South Bend allowed travel from Montreal to New Orleans by canoe with only one five mile stretch of land to cross. Fort St. Joseph was one of the primary fur trading posts in the Great Lakes with furs gathered here being taken to both Fort Michilimackinac and Detroit for shipment to Europe.
Please submit your design on paper or board with a white background to the Fort St. Joseph Museum on or before May 23. The designs may be taken or mailed to the museum (505 East Main Street, Niles, MI 49120 ) or e-mailed to cbainbridge@ nilesmi.org
The designs may be in color or black and white and suitable for reproduction.
All entries will become the property of the City of Niles, but credit will be given to the artist/creator. The FSTAAC will choose the design and the winning design will be presented at the WMU Open House for the 2008 Archeological Dig, which will be held at South Riverfront Park on July 26 and 27.
If you want additional information on history and/or culture connected with the Fort please contact the Fort St. Joseph Museum or the Niles District Library.