Archaeological site.
Details of Site Location: The east bank of the Don River, north and west of the end of O’Connor Drive.
PDM: Borden # AkGu 7.
Current Use of Property: The Don Valley Parkway with some open areas adjoining.
Historical Description: Little is known about this site except that it is one of the period of Contact or pre-Contact, probably a Mississauga village. Author Charles Sauriol remembers Mississauga Indians in the valley in his time. There are a number of archaeo-logical aboriginal sites in the Don Valley, particularly to the south of this one, and most are of the period of Contact. Settlers living in the valley or around the banks also record Indians living in the valley. As a branch of the Ojibwa, the Mississaugas joined in the battles to drive out invaders from south of the Great Lakes and are regarded both by history and in law as the aboriginal landowners. Thus they have more than average interest for Torontonians. Even after the Mississaugas were driven out of the area in 1805, a few still remained for a time in wild areas. The high, steep banks of the original river valley were not attractive to early residents for settlement purposes, and the Indians had free use of the area for a time. Drawings were made of their fishing techniques on the Don.
Relative Importance: The area should be flagged for archaeological investigation as its extent and importance are unknown at present, and the site has been altered by road-building and landscaping. It may have been completely destroyed, but this cannot be known for certain without proper investigation.
Planning Implications: The only planning that can be done for this site is to time-table an archaeological dig or even a series of test trenches. Maps made for the construction of the DVP will be essential in determining how the archaeology should be done. Marking the site must wait for historical and archaeological work. The area once had large stands of black walnut trees, which were felled and brushed and the huge logs rolled into the river bottom. Walnut sinks, and the logs are thought to be still in place on the bottom. Their precise location is not entirely clear, but they were felled before Hurricane Hazel. Experts have stated that the wood would still be good and would be valuable if hauled out for milling. Investigation thus might also include a search and retrieval of the black walnut.
Reference Sources: Maps Project files; Victor A. Konrad, The Archaeological Resources of the Metropolitan Toronto Planning Area: Inventory and Prospect (Department of Geography, York University, Discussion Paper Series #10, 1973);
Acknowledgements: Maps Project; Ontario Archaeological Society, Toronto Branch; Province of Ontario Archaeological Database.