Bertrand, Michigan

Bertrand was a village in the southern part of Niles Charter township at 41°46′27″N 86°15′45″W / 41.77417°N 86.26250°W / 41.77417; -86.26250 (Bertrand)[1] on the St. Joseph River approximately 4 miles (6 km) south of the city of Niles.

Joseph Bertrand, a French Canadian, had a trading post here by 1812.

After the Potowatomi ceded their lands to the federal government with the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, Daniel G. Garnsey obtained the permission of U.S. President Andrew Jackson and the consent of Mrs. Bertrand to locate a village on her land.

Alonzo Bennett platted the village of Bertrand in 1833 and became its first postmaster on June 9, 1834.

In 1844, the Sisters of the Holy Cross founded their first convent in the United States here.