As we move further west from Orillia we come across a cluster of 6 archaeological sites just north of the Old Barrie Rd close to the baseline between Orillia and Oro Township. This cluster includes 4 sites that some have dated to the historic period, 1 site dated
to the Lalonde period (prehistoric) and 1 site reported to have 40 single graves.
(1) - Let’s start in the east with the sites reported in A Hunter’s report for his site # 14, (NW ¼ of lot 10 Con 3 South Orillia. This site has now been obliterated from what I can tell and is currently occupied by the Champlain Ready Mix Company. A. F. Hunter indicates this as an early historic 2 to 3 acre site based on finds of early French trade axes and pieces of copper kettles. Gary Warrick (Thesis 1990) also dates this to be an early historic contact site.
(2) - Some 300 yards west of this location was the site of some 40 single graves (lot 10 Con 2 South Orillia) also described by Hunter in his report on his site # 14 in South Orillia.
(3) – On the east ½ of lot 9 Con 1 South Orillia we have the William Harvie/Martin site also know as Hunter site # 11 South Orillia. This site was thought to be 3 – 4 acres in size by Hunter but only 1.5 acres according to Ridley. Ridley reports this site as dating to the Lalonde period (prehistoric) while Hunter found iron tomahawks of an early French make and hence dates it as early historic. This site does have a Borden # so we need to get more details from the Ministry’s files that might clarify the discrepancy in dating.
(4) – Farther west and slightly south we find the Strathearn site or Hunter # 12 South Orillia. Hunter dates this site as the French period as iron knives and axes were found here along with pottery fragments etc. Hammond also mapped this site.
(5) – The Morrison/Anderson site (Hunter # 57) is dated by Ridley as Lalonde (prehistoric) and he notes that it may have been palisaded (this might indicate a significant village) but by Hunter perhaps as historic because there were reports of iron axes. It is found on the northeast 1/4 of lot 10 Con 14 Oro Township and reported by Hunter to be about 4 acres.
(6) – The previous site spills into the SE ¼ of this same lot and there are graves reported in somewhere on Hunters site # 57. No iron artefacts ever made it to the Provincial museum from what I can tell. I have indicated this as a separate site because it is on a separate piece of land. (Anderson farm).
2 comments:
Until we can secure further dating evidence for the sites within this cluster we will have to put it aside. The current site dating takes some of the sites to the early historic period.For this reason this cluster remains of interest.
Jamie and I have arranged a visit to the ROM in an attempt to review more of the site maps and reports that may be on file there from A F Hunter and Hammond. This visit may enable us to shed more light on this and other sites of interest in and around Orillia.
Sorry but um affraid you are way off with your site 14 location. Its clearly stated it was in the cuppage farm on the north east side of his lot which was located near where the highway is. Its clearly a concession over. Also the mill pond on which it stood on the edge of never reached the ready mix location, although a grist mill was there (which you can still see the concrete) . That was always just River and a dug pond ( which is not thompsons mill pond) as it clearly shows on hunters map. Site 14 is in the current hospital grounds and has asko been augmented and dug for sand by the HRC.
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