NILES — Being so close to Lake Michigan, many folks naturally think first of heading towards the beach when it comes to getting out and enjoying nature. However, one reason that our region is so beautiful is that a river runs through it.

From origins east of Hillsdale, Mich., the St. Joseph River winds more than 200 miles, dipping into northern Indiana before turning north and emptying into Lake Michigan at St. Joseph. It is, in fact, one of the only rivers in North America that flows north.

Along the way, forts — and later towns — were built on its banks. Now, nearly every one of those towns offers at least one riverside park for residents and visitors to enjoy. And, because of the important role that the river played during the settling of the region, many of those parks offer both an opportunity to enjoy nature as well as a chance to experience a bit of the river’s history at no cost.

For example, Niles is situated on land that was significant long before Europeans came to this region. The river, which Native Americans called the “O-sang-e-wong-se-be,” narrows and becomes shallower there. Therefore, they considered it to be a perfect fording site, referring to the location as “Pa-wa-ting,” or “The Great Crossing.”

When French missionaries and fur traders arrived, they also recognized the location as naturally strategic. After some time, French forces arrived and established Fort St. Joseph beside the river in 1691.

Centuries later, the French Paper Co. constructed the St. Joseph River Park Project, which includes the land on which the original fort was built. Just north of there, a hydroelectric dam was constructed, supplying power to the paper company.

The park area begins at Fort St. and runs between the east bank of the river and Bond St., connecting to Riverfront Park via the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail.

Amenities of the park include a canoe landing, a picnic area, and a large lawn area from which the dam can be viewed. Visitors can feed ducks, geese and seagulls, and there are a variety of shady fishing spots along the river’s banks.

Two historical sites at the south end of the parkland may be of interest to visitors, but access to them is best achieved by car because there are no trails or sidewalks on Bond St., which is a gravel road there. Parking is also a challenge.

The best plan may be to park in a recessed area along the east side of Bond St., about one-tenth of a mile north of the intersection with Fort St. There, in an area known as Allouez Park, at the top of a steep flight of stone stairs, a cross stands in monument to Father Claude Jean Allouez S.J

Born in France in 1622, Allouez served an important role as a Jesuit missionary throughout a wide area, ranging from Quebec and the shores of Lake Superior to southern Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, Allouez was appointed as Pere Marquette’s successor in 1675, and he eventually settled among the Miami Indians in southern Michigan. . A plaque at the base of the cross indicates that Allouez died near that spot in 1689.

After visiting the cross, visitors may want to walk carefully south on Bond St. to view an enormous boulder that was placed there as a monument to Fort St. Joseph in 1913.

Set on an embankment at the top of a small set of worn stairs, a plaza with stone benches serves as the base for the boulder. At each corner of the plaza, a small square marker bears the name of one of the four powers that have claimed the area as territory: France, Britain, Spain and the United States.

A nearby plaque designates the spot as a Michigan Historic Site, briefly discussing the history of how the fort changed hands from the French to the British. For those interested, the Fort St. Joseph Museum, located at 508 E. Main St. in Niles, can provide many more historical details about the fort. The museum also has a collection of artifacts recovered from the fort.

While the boulder marks the general location of the historic fort, archeologists have determined that the fort stood much closer to the river. In fact, much of that land is now covered by water, which must be pumped out during archeological digs.

Currently, a wild tangle of vines, brush, trees and swampland makes it dangerous to venture down to the riverbank there. Rather, the parkland just north of the historical monuments is a far more hospitable place to appreciate the rushing river as it heads towards the dam. Due to the nature of the terrain near the dam, parents would be wise to stay close to children there. However, other pleasant, grassy spots can be found below the dam as well.

Although St. Joseph River Park and Allouez Park are more difficult to access and offer fewer recreation options than does Riverfront Park, visiting them can enrich one’s appreciation of the river’s history while providing an opportunity to get out and enjoy the coming of spring.