1
Tourist pamphlet for Huroniacirca 1968
Midland, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Museum of Ontario Archaeology
2
As early as 1944 a group of concerned citizens began an active campaign to promote the rich heritage of Huronia. Throughout the next few years this campaign escalated, leading to the formation of the Huronia Historic Sites andTourist Association. Around 1950 the provincial government's Department of Education revised the curriculum to place greater emphasis on the study of local history. The provincial government endorsed the idea of developing
archaeological sites as educational and tourist centres but thought local organizations such as the Chambers of Commerce or historical associations should fund such centres in the belief that most of the costs could be recovered
through administrative fees. Historical societies were becoming more active. There was wide-spread public interest in preservation and legislation was planned or enacted to protect places of archaeological, historical and natural
significance. Plans had or were being formulated for the further excavation and restoration of Sainte-Marie I and the Penetanguishene Naval and Military Establishments, and at various times several other ideas for similar developments
were put forth.
3
Book authored by Elsie and Wilf1959
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Museum of Ontario Archaeology
4
It was in this atmosphere that Wilf and Elsie Jury, already committed to the Sainte-Marie I and Penetanguishene projects and operating the Summer School of Archaeology in Huronia, undertook additional work in Huronia. In 1952 they were formally retained by the Huronia Historic Sites and Tourist Association to undertake an inventory of Huronia for the purpose of identifying points of historical interest, some of which could potentially be restored or developed. Their resulting report, published by the Assocation, first listed sites by site type and secondly by geographical area. Later, the Association also funded the publication of two glossy popular pamphlets, re-prints of articles Elsie had published in the Canadian Geographical Journal.5
Pamphlet for Penetanguishene Naval and Military Establishmentscirca 1968
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Museum of Ontario Archaeology
6
Although other researchers had mapped sites throughout parts of Huronia, there remained considerable confusion about which archaeological sites could be positively identified as specific historical locations visited by the European missionaries. Also, to date a greater emphasis had been placed on documenting historic sites rather than the prehistoric sites which preceded them. In 1958 Wilf received a small grant from the Archaeological and Historic Sites Board ofOntario to undertake further survey in Tiny Township, Simcoe County.
7
Wilf conducted limited test excavations on several sites as part of this small project, including some sites which others had previously investigated. Wilf elected to conduct more extensive excavations at one site in particular, Quesnelle-Deschambault. He was excited about that particular location for three specific reasons. First, it had not been listed in the earlier reports made by other investigators. Second, the landowner had found some European-made artifacts tosuggest it was a contact-era site. Third, the location of the site coincided with the archival documentation of the large, triple-palisaded Huron village known as Carhagouha visited in 1615-1616 by Champlain and Le Caron. Wilf and a crew of varying size that included some of the students from his Summer School returned to this site at various times (including evenings and weekends) in 1958, 1959, 1961 and 1962.
8
Pamphlet for Penetanguishene Naval and Military Establishmentscirca 1968
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Museum of Ontario Archaeology
9
Although Wilf never finalized a report on the project he does infer in his notes and newspaper articles that this site could indeed have been Carhagouha. The sizeable collection of artifacts that Wilf recovered, and Elsie's notes concerning this site, remain at the Museum today; these could potentially be used as the basis of a future graduate student thesis. However, it should also be noted that other archaeologists returned later to further explore this site, and they and their colleagues continue to question the identification of this site as Carhagouha.10
Pamphlet for Penetanguishene Naval and Military Establishmentscirca 1968
Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Museum of Ontario Archaeology
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