Fort Gratiot Was Built In 1814

Wilderness Outpost

Fort Gratiot was built by the U.S. Army in 1814 to guard the strategic junction of Lake Huron and the St. Clair River.  Troops stood ready to defend Michigan and the U.S. against British forces in Canada.

As settlement moved westward, the fort was a stopping point for soldiers and supplies headed for the frontier.  During the Civil War, area soldiers prepared for battle here, but Fort Gratiot never suffered a hostile attack.  In 1879 the American flag was lowered, and the fort was abandoned.