NILES — Voyageur canoe rides and other 18th-century activities will come alive Aug. 3 and 4 as Western Michigan University’s Archaeological Field School hosts its annual Fort St. Joseph Open House.

Tours of the Field School dig site; interactive exhibits of Native and European American life and culture; and numerous family-friendly activities take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at the site of Fort St Joseph, located just off of Bond Street in Niles.

The Field School has spent the past 21 summers unearthing thousands of artifacts at Fort St. Joseph, an 18th century trade post, mission and garrison located on the St. Joseph River. From 1691 until its abandonment in 1781, the Fort was controlled by three different countries — France, Britain, Spain — and interacted with several Native American groups, such as the Potawatomi and Miami.

Along with dig site tours and free rides in reproduction voyageur canoes, the Open House will feature children’s activities, history presentations, a walking tour, exhibits of artifacts found at the site and more.

The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project is a collaboration between Western Michigan University and the city of Niles, and the open house is free and open to the public.

Volunteer staff said to follow project updates. The group can be followed on Facebook (“The Fort St Joseph Archaeological Project”), Instagram (@fsjarchaeology) or on its blog (fortstjosepharchaeology.blogspot.com). 

For further information on the open house, they said to visit wmich.edu/fortstjoseph or contact the Niles History Center at nileshistory@nilesmi.org and (269) 845-4054.