Further to my last post all is not lost when it comes to the trail that led to the proposed site for Cahiague. I have plotted the trails that appear on the maps produced by Andrew Hunter and Hugh Hammond and it would appear that Hunter mapped the trail coming across the top of the ridge in the vicinity of his site # 11. This trail is one of 4 trails in the area all of which converge at Mt Slaven in Orillia.
1- The trail from the north appears to start around Washago and follow the route of Hwy 11 south to Hunters site # 12 at about where the New Brailey line meets Hwy 11. (just north of Webbers Burgers for those hungering a road trip). From here it ascends the ridge to avoid the swampy land behind Amigo Beach and crosses the Brennan line just below Stockdale Rd. The trail then appears to follow along the top of the ridge just east of Hunter's site # 11. From here it travels generally south, crosses Telford line and follows the ridge to where it crosses Hampshire Mills and on over to Carlyon line. Here the trail turn east towards lake Couchiching and enters the current city of Orillia at Laclie and follow that route to the ridge that forms Mt Slaven and the Mt Slaven site area that Mr Hammond considered the most likely location of Cahiague.
2- From the south we have a trail plotted by Hammond that starts on his map at the 14th line of Oro just west of Hwy 11 and enters Orillia at the 15th line and Memorial Ave. It then follows close to the line of Memorial and up in the Mt Slaven district. I suspect that there was a branch of this trail leading to Shingle Bay at about where the mental health centre sits today.
3- From the southwest we have a trail from Hunter's map coming from his site 38 in Oro (that he thought was Cahiague) over and across the top of a cluster of sites in the Burroughs creek area (Old Barrie Rd) and crossing Hwy 11 just north of the Hwy 12 east interchange. This trail also converges at Mt Slaven.
4- Running generally from east to west is the Coldwater trail (as plotted by Hammond) running from the Narrows at Atherley, following close by Brewery Bay (Steven Leacock Home today) and once again up into the Mt Slaven district where it intersects with the other converging trails from the north and south and exits in a westerly direction over the north shore of Bass lake and on out past the Warminster site to Coldwater.
So was Mt Slaven and Ahrendarrhonon metropolis as Hammond suspected or just a gathering place for all those various groups who met and camped out while hunting, fishing and trading while at the Narrows?
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