Fort St. Joseph, first established as a mission in the 1680s by French Jesuits, was one of the earliest European settlements in the North American mid-continent and more specifically the western Great Lakes region. During the first half of the eighteenth century it also took on the roles of garrison and trading post.
WMU archaeologists are working to unlock the secrets of this long lost, but not forgotten, frontier outpost of New France. Our efforts are conducted in partnership with the City of Niles, the Fort St. Joseph Museum, Support the Fort, Inc., and other community groups.
Submissions from 2019
Curation, Erika K. Hartley and Miro Dunham (Exhibition)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project 2018 Annual Report, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Revealed: The Historical Archaeology of a Fur Trading Post, Michael Nassaney (Book)
Submissions from 2018
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project 2017 Annual Report, Michael Nassaney (Report)
Technology Then and Now 1: Technology Then and Now, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Technology Then and Now 2: Glass Beads, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Technology Then and Now 3: Building a House in New France, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Technology Then and Now 4: Hide Processing in the Fur Trade, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Technology Then and Now 5: Birch Bark Canoes, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Technology Then and Now 6: Flintlock Muskets, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Submissions from 2017
Archaeological Evidence of Architectural Remains at Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), Niles, MI, Erika K. Loveland (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Community Partnerships: Building Meaningful Connections Through Archaeology, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Brochure)
Minecrafting Archaeology: An Experimental Pedagogy for an Eighteenth-Century French Trading Post in Niles, Michigan, James B. Schwaderer (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Partnerships 1: Community Partnerships in Niles, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Partnerships 2: An Archaeological Partnership with the Religious of Niles, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Partnerships 3: Building Bridges Between the St.Joseph River and Local Archaeology, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Partnerships 4: Anthropology and Education in the Niles Community, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Partnerships 5: Living History Partnerships at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Partnerships 6: Partnering with the Pokagan Band of Potawatomi, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Trading to Drink and Drinking to Trade: Assessing Alcohol Trade and Consumption in Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century New France, Cara A. Mosier (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Submissions from 2016
1: What is Archaeology?, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
2: Fort History, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
3: Change and Continuity at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
4: Commercial Activities at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
5: Project History, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
6: Military Presence at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
7: Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
8: Religious Life at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
An Intra-Site Spatial Analysis of Fort St. Joseph (20BE23) in Niles, MI, Katelyn Deann Hillmeyer (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project 2016 Annual Report, Michael Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2016, Michael S. Nassaney (Newsletter)
Submissions from 2015
Architectural Hardware, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Domestic Structures - 1, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Newsletter)
Domestic Structures - 2, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2015, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Military Fortifications, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Patterns in Faunal Remains at Fort St. Joseph, a French Fur Trade Post in the Western Great Lakes, Joseph Hearns (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Special Purpose Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Storage Structures, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Structures Introductory Panel, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project and Michael S. Nassaney (Exhibition)
The Archaeology of the North American Fur Trade, Michael S. Nassaney (Book)
Submissions from 2014
Fort St. Joseph Post - Summer 2014, Department of Anthropology (Newsletter)
Lead Seals from Colonial Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), Cathrine Davis (Honors Thesis-Open Access)
Submissions from 2013
An Assessment of Public Outreach with Children and Educators Conducted by the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Erica A. D’Elia (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Change and Continuity: Euro-American and Native American Settlement Patterns in the St. Joseph River Valley, Allison M. Kohley (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2012-2013, Michael Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2013, Department of Anthropology (Newsletter)
Submissions from 2012
An Analysis of Personal Adornment at Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), An Eighteenth-Century French Trading Post in Southwest Michigan, Ian B. Kerr (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Fort St. Joseph and the American Revolution, Scott T. MacPherson (Exhibition)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (20BE23), Sue Reichert (Exhibition)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2011-12, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2012, Department of Anthropology (Newsletter)
The Fur Trade, Rachel B. Juen and Michael S. Nassaney (Booklet)
The Military at Fort St. Joseph, Scott T. MacPherson (Exhibition)
Submissions from 2011
An Examination of Gunflints from the Fort St. Joseph Site (20BE23) in Niles, Michigan, Cezar Carvalhaes (Honors Thesis-Campus Only)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2010-11, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2011, Department of Anthropology (Newsletter)
Fur Trade 01: Beaver: Mainstay of the Trade, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 02: Birchbark Canoes, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 03: Trade Goods 1, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 04: Trade Goods 2, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 05: Getting Around in 17th and 18th Century New France, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 06: How the Fur Trade Worked, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 07: Native Peoples and the Fur Trade, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 08: New France and the Place of the Fur Trade, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 09: Fur Trade Society, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fur Trade 10: Fur Trade Myths, Acknowledgements, Rachel B. Juen and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Submissions from 2010
Fort St. Joseph 1.0: Creating a Comprehensive Information Management Scheme for the Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Erin Claussen (Masters Thesis-Campus Only)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2009-10, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project: Join our Membership, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Brochure)
Fort St. Joseph Post - Spring 2010, Department of Anthropology (Newsletter)
The Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Summer Events, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Brochure)
Using GIS to Describe and Understand Archaeological Site Distribution: Mapping Fort Saint Joseph, Susan Benston (Masters Thesis-Campus Only)
Women of New France, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Book)
Women of New France 1: Introduction, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 2: Needle Arts, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 3: Clothing and Dress, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 4: Cooking, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 5: Music, Dance, and Diversions, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 6: Education and Literacy, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 7: Women in Trade and Diplomacy, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France 8: Women and Servitude, Stacey Moore and Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Women of New France : Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project, Department of Anthropology (Booklet)
Submissions from 2009
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2008-09, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Jesuits in New France and Religious Discoveries 1: The Jesuits in New France, Victoria Hawley (Exhibition)
Jesuits in New France and Religious Discoveries 2: Religious Discoveries at Fort St. Joseph, Victoria Hawley (Exhibition)
The Excavated Bead Collection at Fort St. Joseph (20BE23) and Its Implications for Understanding Adornment, Ideology, Cultural Exchange, and Identity, LisaMarie Malischke (Masters Thesis-Campus Only)
Submissions from 2008
A Geophysical Survey of Fort St. Joseph (20BE23), Niles, Michigan, Daniel P. Lynch (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 1: What is Archaeology?, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 2: Fort History, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 3: Change and Continuity at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 4: Commercial Activities at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 5: Project History, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 6: Military Presence at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 7: Public Archaeology at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Archaeology, History and Activities at Fort St. Joseph 8: Religious Life at Fort St. Joseph, Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project (Exhibition)
Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Annual Report, 2007-08, Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Submissions from 2005
Crafting Culture at Fort St. Joseph: An Archaeological Investigation of Labor Organization on the Colonial Frontier, Brock A. Giordano (Masters Thesis-Open Access)
Submissions from 1999
22-An Archaeological Reconnaissance Survey to Locate Remains of Fort St. Joseph (20BE23) in Niles, Michigan, William Cremin, Renee Lutes-Kurtzweil, Christine McMillan, and Michael S. Nassaney (Report)
Submissions from 1977
Training and Generalization of Restauranting Skills: Programming Primary Reinforcement for Community Travel, Richard Aart van den Pol (Masters Thesis-Open Access)