Fort St. Joseph Commemorates 225 Years

By Jeralyn Bohms and Abe Zettek

Fort St. Joseph made its mark on history in the War of 1812, but what of its beginnings? To commemorate 225 years since construction began, three new programs will be launched. Come see and learn from costumed historical interpreters who will demonstrate historic blacksmithing, musket firing, clay oven bread baking, and more!

In 1796, construction of a new British fort on the north shore of Lake Huron began. It was the proclamation of Jay’s Treaty in February of that year, and the resultant surrender of Fort Mackinac to the United States, that precipitated the move to build a new military fort on the southern tip of St. Joseph Island. The new location was strategic for both its proximity to existing shipping routes, and to Fort Mackinac, where Indigenous allies were familiar with meeting British traders.

While construction of the new fort began, the soldiers set up temporary accommodations at LaPointe Point. Lieutenant Andrew Foster arrived in early June 1796, with orders to build simple huts with space on the floor for a fire, a hole in the roof instead of a chimney, and windows of oiled paper. The soldiers collected flat stones and clay to build an oven for baking, and by November there was shelter for 30 men. The next spring, pickets surrounded the post.

With a great sense of youthful adventure, Lieutenant George Landmann of the Royal Engineers was just 18 years old when he was sent to manage the early construction of Fort St. Joseph in 1797. In his two summers on St. Joseph Island, Landmann oversaw the construction of the blockhouse, wharf, guardhouse, bakehouse, a temporary powder magazine, and the beginning of a palisade wall. Lt. Landmann was present at the council on June 30, 1798, when nine Ojibwa witnesses formally sold St. Joseph Island to the British crown (Treaty 11).

This year, to mark 225 years since the beginning of Fort St. Joseph, there are several ways to experience a glimpse into the life of those that lived at the post. Costumed historical interpreters will be making sparks fly as they demonstrate blacksmithing skills, and forge the same hardware that was used in the new fort’s construction. 

After making the thousands of nails needed for a new building, the workers certainly must have been hungry! Interpreters will fire a traditional bake oven - made with clay and stones just like the one described at LaPointe Point – and bake bread using historical ingredients, tools, and techniques. 

The military wouldn’t have been at Fort St. Joseph without a fur trade presence, so visitors can see how Northwest muskets, an indispensable commodity, met the needs of the Indigenous people who were bringing furs and supplies to the post.

While you explore the fort’s ruins, imagine your 18-year-old self overseeing the construction of an entire military post while stationed far from home, deep in the interior of British North America. Though only ruins of the original fort remain, the trees and landscape surrounding the point have changed little in 225 years. With a good imagination, you can almost hear the voices of those that lived at the fort so long ago… or perhaps it’s just the ring of an anvil, the crackle of a baking fire, or the loud crack of a musket being fired. 

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