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Article: Land of four flags: An archeological dig in Southwestern Michigan uncovers a multinational past. (Research in Michigan).
- Article from:
- Michigan Academician
- Article date:
- September 22, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Michigan Academy of Science Arts & Letters. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the southwest corner of Michigan is an area that was claimed first by France, then England, and finally Spain, before it came under American control in the early nineteenth century. The area earned the nickname "Land of Four Flags," the only such place in Michigan.
For almost a century, Fort St. Joseph served as a trading post, mission, and garrison for scores of people. On the banks of what was then called the River of the Miamis, possibly named for an Indian village located where Niles stands today, the Jesuits established a mission in about 1684. The river was later renamed the St. Joseph sometime after Louis XIV confirmed a grant of land for this Jesuit ...