Last summer the Niles History Center offered walking tours of the city’s historic downtown, highlighting several iconic local businesses including the Four Flags Hotel, the Ready Theater and Veni’s Sweet Shop. This year, the Niles History Center is excited to offer another series of walking tours.

While two of the tours will still focus on Main Street and the downtown district, the series kicks off on at 6 p.m. Monday, July 15, with a special walk co-hosted by the History Center, Niles District Library and the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project.  Attendees will take a stroll through time along the St. Joseph River and learn about the important role this waterway played in the development of Niles.

Native Americans settled here long ago, where the river narrows and allows for crossing at a place called “Pawating” by the Potawatomi. The French took advantage of this ideal location and built Fort St. Joseph in 1691, using the river to trade goods throughout the Great Lakes region. The Fort fell under British, Native American and Spanish control before being abandoned in the early 1800s.

As the Fort disappeared into the woods, other settlers moved to the area and established the Village of Niles near the St. Joseph River. In 1829, Ephraim Lacey and his son Elijah opened a saw mill in Niles. The first mills in the area, including the Lacey mill, utilized water power from the narrower Dowagiac River or its tributaries via a mill race, a human-made channel which diverted water from its source to move the waterwheels and power the mills.

Settlers aimed to harness the power of the St. Joseph River, but early efforts proved difficult. Finally, in 1871, after several failed attempts, the Niles Manufacturing Company completed construction on the first permanent dam across the river. The French Paper Company operates a dam there today. By the turn of the 20th Century, the St. Joe powered numerous mills, paper companies and other factories.

Of course, the St. Joseph River also moved goods and people.  Keelboats carried cargo to other newly settled towns while riverboats transported passengers to and from Niles. Built in the early 1830s, the Matilda Barney was the first steamboat built specifically for use on the St. Joseph River. The steamer carried goods from Niles to St. Joseph. Dams, though critical in the development of hydropower, along with the arrival of the railroad in 1848, ultimately caused a decline in river traffic. Today, St. Joseph River travel is purely recreational.

The July 15 walking tour will highlight early industry along the river, leisure activities, transportation and the French Paper Company Dam. Historic photos and maps will be shown throughout the tour. The walk also includes a special tour of the Fort St. Joseph archaeological site.

Participants should meet at the Riverfront Park Amphitheater in Niles at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Terrain includes paved trail, gravel road and wooded areas; please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a camera, water, bug spray, and a hat. The Niles History Center will also offer “First Friday Walking Tours” of historic downtown Niles at 10:30 a.m. on Aug. 2 and Sept. 6. For more information please call the Niles History Center at (269) 845-4054 or visit nileshistorycenter.org.

Mollie Watson is the assistant director at the Niles History Center. She can be reached by phone at (269) 845-4054 ext. 4013 or by email at mwatson@nilesmi.org.