Kickstarting the Lecture Series with Dr. Nassaney

 Hi everyone,

My name is Rex Dillman (pictured below), and I am a student at Western Michigan University and am taking part in the 2021 Archaeological Field School at Fort St. Joseph. I am majoring in applied science and engineering and have a love for archaeology. 

The Niles District Library has a four-week program on Zoom where presentations center on the Project’s theme “People of the Post.” This week, on July 7^th, Dr. Michael Nassaney gave his presentation about the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project. This Project is run through Western Michigan University and the City of Niles. Dr. Nassaney is an expert on the Fort, he also teaches and has written multiple books about Fort St. Joseph. He began his presentation with a brief overview of anthropology and the subfields. He also went over the organizations and partners that are affiliated with the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, such as Support the Fort. He discussed the importance of the work done at Fort St. Joseph as well as how the collection of artifacts found at Fort St. Joseph has reached over 300,000 artifacts.

He then went through a brief history of Fort St. Joseph. The Fort was built first as a Jesuit Mission in the 1680s, and the French quickly struck a partnership with the local Anishinaabe tribes. This fort was one of three in Michigan built by the French. Fort St. Joseph was a mission first on the east bank of the St. Joseph River south of now downtown Niles, Michigan. The French government wanted to use the land resources for trade, and this allowed for a good relationship between the French and local Native tribes. The Anishinaabe traded large amounts of natural resources every year for different trade products from Europe. Animal furs and hides were made into fur coats and hats that were popular all over Europe. Natives received guns, metal to make objects, pots, brass lead and steel knives.

The British took command of the Fort in 1761 and had control for two years. In 1763, local Native American tribes banded together with the French to try and retake the Fort in a battle called Pontiac’s rebellion.  The British did end up retaking the Fort, but it was not regularly garrisoned. In 1781 the Spanish took the fort for 1 day, looted it and left it abandoned. The Fort was never used again and eventually forgotten about. The United States was then established, and Fort St. Joseph became an area where the French, British, Spanish and United States were once in control, and thus Niles became the city of four flags.

The fort was finally rediscovered in 1998 when Western Michigan University was invited into Niles to find the original fort location. Once the Fort was located, excavations began in 2002. We are still excavating today, over 20 years later, and are learning more and more about how the people of Fort St. Joseph lived.

Dr. Nassaneys lecture was informative about not only the history of the fort, but also about this year’s theme of the People of the Fort. There will be another lecture this Wednesday, July 14^th at 7pm from Dr. Brandão! Be sure to tune into the zoom call it will be held on.