Fort St. Joseph is a former British outpost on the southernmost point of St. Joseph Island in Ontario, Canada, on Lake Huron. The fort consisted of a blockhouse, powder magazine, bakery building, Indian council house and storehouse surrounded by a palisade. Situated on approximately 325 hectares along the St. Marys River, Fort St. Joseph was the staging ground for the initial attack in the War of 1812. The fort was an important regional military outpost and a significant meeting place for trade and commerce in the region. During its short but significant occupation, it was the most westerly British outpost in North America. Today, Fort St. Joseph is operated by Parks Canada and is designated a National Historic Site of Canada. History In 1783, the Treaty of Paris was signed and the newly formed United States was awarded Michilimackinac, a trading post on Mackinac Island where Lakes Huron and Michigan connect. The strategic position of Michilimackinac gave the Americans sound control of the upper Great Lakes. Forced into making an urgent decision, Lord Dorchester, then Military Governor of Canada, advised that St. Joseph Island be occupied quickly, fearing that the Americans might lay claim to the island. Lord Dorchester had hoped to compete with and possibly replace Michilimackinac as the hub of the fur trade in the region while keeping Aboriginal allegiance. The situation was clarified by Jay's Treaty. It came into effect in 1796 and finally compelled the withdrawal of British forces from frontier forts which were awarded to the Americans under the treaty. This led to the establishment of a number of new British forts, to replace the ones that were relinquished. Fort Mackinac was one of these relinquishments, with the British constructing Fort St. Joseph as a replacement. In the summer of 1796, construction of Fort St. Joseph began. Strained relations between British and Americans became apparent in 1807 because of the foreign and trade policies of the two countries. Control over the Great Lakes and fur trade was also a factor in these strained relations. Fort St. Joseph, as yet unfinished, was undermanned and contained out of date weapons so it was exceedingly apparent that Fort St. Joseph would be unequipped and incapable in defending itself amid attack. The Congress of United States declared war on Great Britain on 18 June 1812. Appreciating the significance of Fort St. Joseph, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, military commander of