Archaeological site.
Details of Site Location: West bank of the Rouge River, half a mile north of the river’s mouth on highland overlooking the river. Not far from Highway 2.
PDM: Borden # AkGs 5/8.
Boundary History: Over a period of more than 200 years, municipal and township boundaries have been set and reset arbitrarily, reflecting changes in the river itself and population and political influences.
Current Use of Property: Site, partially destroyed by road construction, occupies at least 6 acres.
Historical Description: The name, meaning “among the birches,” has been variously spelled in historic maps. Most archaeologists have noted the site but only partial investigation has ever been made; as a result, its use by prehistoric peoples is unknown. In historic or post-Contact time, the site served as a colony of Senecas from south of the Great Lakes during the period of the “Indian Wars” (battles fought for English and French fur traders by their aboriginal allies). Reported by Dollier in 1669, the site was mapped in 1774 on the Charlevoix-Bellin map. When Denonville visited the site in 1687 it was still in use by Indians. French use of the site began with a mission established by the Sulpician Fathers from 1669 to 1671 under François d’Urfé, joined later by François de Salignac de Fénélon. Dollier and Galinée, both Sulpicians, explored the region. La Salle was also a visitor, as was Joliet. Although winters were extreme and caused great suffering, the French here were first to map the region and first to travel to other parts of the province, setting up missions – and, consequently, communities – in several locations. In later periods, the site was used by the Mississaugas.
Relative Importance: As a heavily used pre- and post-Contact site from which the region was first mapped, it is of first importance.
Planning Implications: Should be under public ownership, fully investigated archaeologically, and respectfully treated as the primary site on the Rouge River as presently known.
Reference Sources: Carte du Canada ou de la Nouvelle France 1719 by Guillaume Delisle; Joe C.W. Armstrong Collection; unpublished research by Dr. Paul Germain, Carrying Place; Pickering Township Historical Society files.
Acknowledgements: Dr. Paul Germain, La Société d’histoire de Toronto; The Rousseau Project/Le Projet Rousseau, Kenté Portage Heritage Conservation Society; Province of Ontario Archaeological Database; Pickering Township Historical Society.