Fort Miami was a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

on the bank of the St. Joseph River at the site of the present-day city of

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,365. It lies on the shore o ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was established in November 1679 by a band of French explorers led by

René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle René (''born again'' or ''reborn'' in French) is a common first name in French-speaking, Spanish-speaking, and German-speaking countries. It derives from the Latin name Renatus. René is the masculine form of the name (Renée being the feminine ...

on the banks of what was then called the River Miami as a mission and Indian trading outpost. His soldiers destroyed it the next year. It was rebuilt in winter 1680-81. In 1700, a second fort was erected by a visiting Jesuit mission and remained in French possession until the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

(1754-1763), at which point it was conquered by the British. It came under the command of Colonel John Colonel, who with a handful of soldiers resisted regular attacks by surrounding indigenous tribes. It fell to a raiding party during Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763 until quickly returning to British rule at the end of the same year.

References

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

French-American culture in Michigan Buildings and structures in Berrien County, Michigan

1679 establishments in New France {{Michigan-stub