History Browser

A brief history of this National Historic Site located on St. Joseph Island from the time the fort was constructed in 1797 until archaeological work was done in the 1970s. From a military standpoint, Fort St. Joseph played a defensive role - its primary purpose being to protect the fur trade from the Americans. Its role in the War of 1812 is also examined.

Fort St. Joseph symbolizes the commercial and military alliance that existed between the British and the First Nations peoples of the western Great Lakes region in the aftermath of the American Revolutionary War through the War of 1812. In addition to the Fort itself, the site contains archaeological features that reveal part of the complex pattern of military, domestic and commercial life - Aboriginal and European - in this frontier outpost. Website includes visitor information.

When news of war reached Fort St. Joseph in July 1812, its British commander organized an attack on nearby American Fort Mackinac. Taking the Americans by surprise, Captain Roberts captured the fort and won Britain much prestige among the Amerindians in the west.

Fort St Joseph was built in the late 1790s to ensure British access to lakes Huron and Superior. In 1812, it was the base for the successful attack on the American Fort Michilimackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan. This capture led to the Anglo-Canadian control of much of the Northwest during the war. The large building in the centre of the fort is a blockhouse, built in 1797. Other structures included a guardhouse, kitchen, storehouse, powder magazine, bakehouse, and blacksmith shop. The whole complex was surrounded by a wooden palisade with four bastions.