Fort Gratiot was an American

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived ...

fort in Fort Gratiot, Michigan, in Saint Clair County, Michigan. The former location of the fort was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980.

History

The Army constructed Fort Gratiot in 1814 as an outpost to guard the juncture of the Saint Clair River and

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

. The fort took the name of the engineer supervising its construction,

Charles Gratiot Charles Chouteau Gratiot (August 29, 1786 – May 18, 1855) was born in St. Louis, Spanish Upper Louisiana Territory, now the present-day State of Missouri. He was the son of Charles Gratiot, Sr., a fur trader in the Illinois country during t ...

. Soldiers occupied Fort Gratiot until 1822 and then abandoned the fort.

Lucius Lyon Lucius Lyon (February 26, 1800September 24, 1851) was a U.S. statesman from the state of Michigan. Along with Louis Campau, Lucius Lyon is remembered as one of the founding fathers of Grand Rapids, Michigan, the state's second-largest city. A ...

built

Fort Gratiot Light Fort Gratiot Light , the first lighthouse in the state of Michigan, was constructed north of Fort Gratiot in 1829 by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators. The Fort Gratiot Light marks the entrance to the St. Clair ...

north of Fort Gratiot in 1825–1829. The Army then returned from 1828, and rebuilt the fort to a somewhat smaller size than the original, also building some timber-framed structures on the site, including a hospital and officer's quarters. The site was used intermittently until 1879. The Army abandoned Fort Gratiot in 1879. It was not entirely shut down until 1895. Pine Grove Park occupies part of the fort site. The timber-framed hospital and officers quarters were moved multiple times within the fort, finally being placed in the western section, along what is now St. Claire Street. In the 1980s, archaeological work determined the age of the structures, and in 2000–02, the Port Huron Museum acquired both homes and moved them to a lot in Lighthouse Park, where the

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Fort Gratiot Light , the first lighthouse in the state of Michigan, was constructed north of Fort Gratiot in 1829 by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators. The Fort Gratiot Light marks the entrance to the St. Clai ...

is located. Restoration began in 2012.

Description

The original fort was constructed entirely of wood. Logs formed the base, with piled earth and upright timbers forming a stockade. The fort was approximately 165 wide feet by 495 feet long. It likely had a two-story blockhouse.

Gallery

File:Fort Gratiot 1.jpg, Entrance to Fort Gratiot, residence square File:Fort Gratiot 2.jpg, Fort Gratiot from the northwest

References

{{Commons Category, Fort Gratiot (Michigan)

External links

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse

fortgratiot.us
Gratiot Gratiot Buildings and structures in St. Clair County, Michigan Military history of Michigan Military history of the Great Lakes Pre-statehood history of Michigan 1814 establishments in Michigan Territory