Archaeological site.
Details of Site Location: The west bank of the Humber River, on a height of the original shoreline bluff, near the Humber’s mouth.
Boundary History: This was a site of several acres.
PDM: Borden # AjGu 11, easting 622800, northing 4832000.
Current Use of Property: Sewage treatment plant.
Historical Description: The property was probably a stratified site containing evidence of aboriginal use over many centuries. The site was first reported and investigated by David Boyle in the 1880s, and he found a Mississauga village and burial ground over six to ten acres. Boyle dated the village to around 1800 A.D., and found the remains of many log buildings. Boyle’s research was confirmed by Konrad in the 1970s. The site was largely destroyed by the building of the sewage treatment plant. It also contained evidence of early non-native usages. It is believed that evidence remains in the vicinity.
Relative Importance: Konrad ranked the site 5/5 in importance and 5/5 threatened with good reason. Only full archaeological investigation could re-classify the property.
Planning Implications: The upper strata of the site contains evidence from the period of Contact, and lower levels can be expected to contain evidence of more ancient peoples. To the extent that anything remains to be retrieved by archaeologists, the site should be flagged and protected.
Reference Sources: 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); Etobicoke LACAC; The Rousseau Project / Le Projet Rousseau.
Acknowledgements: Etobicoke Historical Society; The Rousseau Project / Le Projet Rousseau; Ontario Archaeological Society, Toronto Branch.