French Fort St. Joseph in Global Context

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Imperial ambitions and the search for a Northwest Passage led French explorers deep into the North American continent to establish over 100 trading posts and fortified settlements from the St. Lawrence River valley to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Fort St. Joseph was among them; it was founded in the late seventeenth century as a mission, garrison, and trading post complex at the southern end of Lake Michigan in the midst of a landscape occupied by Native Americans. Archaeological investigations since 1998 have illuminated the fort’s appearance, the identities of its occupants, and their daily activities. Ongoing studies reveal local adaptations in building construction, craft production, and subsistence practices and demonstrate the broader significance of Fort St. Joseph in New France when viewed from a global, comparative perspective. Here we discuss the role of the fort on the edge of the French Empire in the eighteenth century.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow