Fort Miami

Here, in November 1679, on the Miami River as the St. Joseph was then called, La Salle, the French explorer, built a fort as a base for his western explorations. He awaited the Griffon, the upper lakes’ first ship. When the ill fated vessel did not come he made his way on foot to Canada through lower Michigan’s uncharted wilderness. He returned in 1681 to prepare for his great push down the Mississippi. A decade later the French built Fort St. Joseph, some twenty miles upriver near Niles.

Plaque via Michigan History Center