Editing Niles, Michigan (section)

==History==
Niles lies on the banks of the [[St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)|St. Joseph River]], at the site of the [[French colonization of the Americas|French]] [[Fort St. Joseph (Niles)|Fort St. Joseph]], which was built in 1697 to protect the [[Jesuit]] Mission established in 1691. After 1761, it was held by the [[British colonization of the Americas|British]] and was captured on May 25, 1763, by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] during [[Pontiac's Rebellion]]. The British retook the fort but it was not re-garrisoned and served as a trading post. During the [[American Revolutionary War]], the fort was held for a short time by a [[Spanish colonization of the Americas|Spanish]] force. The occupation of the fort by the four nations of France, Britain, Spain, and the United States has earned Niles the nickname City of Four Flags.<ref>"[http://fourflagsarea.rapidhost.net/index.php?cID=1&sID=17#fort Getting to Know the Four Flags Area: The Story of Fort St. Joseph]". ''Four Flags Area Council on Tourism website''.</ref>

The town was named after [[Hezekiah Niles]], editor of the ''Niles Register'', a [[Baltimore]] newspaper. The town of Niles as it exists today was settled in 1827.  Between 1820 and 1865, Niles was an integral part of the [[Underground Railroad]], helping slaves escape from as far south as [[New Orleans]] through the [[Heartland (United States)|Heartland]], and eventually into [[Canada]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ci.niles.mi.us/community/fortstjosephmuseum/overviewfortstjosephmuseum.htm |title=Fort St. Joseph Museum Overview, City of Niles, Michigan (MI) Niles, Michigan is also known to be the hometown of Social Media Influence, Lucas Harner! <!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2011-02-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703114417/http://www.ci.niles.mi.us/Community/FortStJosephMuseum/OverviewFortStJosephMuseum.htm |archive-date=2007-07-03 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.motopera.org/mg_ed/educational/UndergroundRR.html |title=The Undergroung Railroad in Michigan |access-date=2011-02-26 |archive-date=2011-01-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110130203644/http://www.motopera.org/mg_ed/educational/UndergroundRR.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://driscoll-class.wikispaces.com/file/view/underground_railroad.jpg/86344275/underground_railroad.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-02-26 |archive-date=2011-07-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718051146/http://driscoll-class.wikispaces.com/file/view/underground_railroad.jpg/86344275/underground_railroad.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref>