When Cadillac founded Detroit in 1701, for the purposes of the fur trade, he invited several Indian tribes to come and make their abodes near the French fort which was named Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit. Among the Indian tribes which came to Detroit were remnants of the Huron or Ouendot (Wyandottes) from Michilimackinac whose ancestors had been characterized by the Jesuits in Huronia in the second quarter of the 17th century For more than a quarter of a century after the Huron's arrival at Detroit the only spiritual ministrations accorded them were supplied by the Recollect chaplain of the fort at the Church of St. Anne. In time these children of the forests asked for a black robe, i.e., a Jesuit to be their spiritual chief as he had been in Huronia and Michilimackina. As a result of this plea in the summer of 1728, Fr. Armand de la Richardie, S.J came from Quebec to establish a mission. It was given the imposing title of "The Mission of Our Lady of the Assumption among the Huron's of Detroit."Because of trouble that arose amongst the various Indian Tribes of the region, on October 13, 1742 Father de la Richardie transferred the village and the mission to the south end of Bois Blanc Island.On May 20th of the following year the Island mission was totally destroyed by rebel Indians from the winter hunting quarters at Sandusky. Father de la Richardie returned from Quebec and decided to change the location of the Indian village and mission. The site chosen was on the south shore at the bend of the river on the fields of the Huron. There they would enjoy the protection of the fort at a place, known as "La Pointe De Montreal".At about the same time as the transfer of the Huron Mission to La Point de Montreal, French settlers began to receive grants of land on the south shore.In 1765 the sixty some families living on the south shore petitioned for a parish of their own. Instead of erecting a second religious centre in the same locality, it was decided that the Mission of the Assumption among the Huron should become the Parish of our Lady of the Assumption entrusted with the care of the souls of both the Huron Indians and the French settlers. A new church 60 x 30 ft. was built by the settlers to replace the 1749 chapel which was falling into ruins. This integrating development was canonically effected in 1767 when Fr. Potier, the Jesuit missionary of the Indians, became the first pastor. Beginning October 3, 1767 he opened a new Register of Baptisms and Marriages in which he signed himself as "Jesuit missionary performing the pastoral duties in the Church of the Assumption at La Point de Montreal du Detroit". That makes Assumption the oldest continuous parish in the present province of Ontario.In response to the urgent plea of the Indians and the parishioners for a successor to Fr. Potier, the Bishop of Quebec sent his Vicar-General to be pastor of Assumption parish. Fr. Hubert was an enterprising man. Immediately he planned to build a new rectory and a church and also to open two schools, one for boys and one for girls.The new church, opened in 1787, was built of timbers (square logs) and was situated on the eastern edge of the park in front of the present church between University Ave. and Riverside Drive. To pay for its construction the western half of the church lands (Huron Church Road to Rosedale Blvd) was sold to Thomas Pajot.