Did Jesuit Missionaries Walk Through The Muskoka Woodlands?

DID JESUIT MISSIONARIES WALK THROUGH THE MUSKOKA WOODLANDS TO MINISTER TO THE ALGONQUINS?

     "Based on their census, they projected five missionary enterprises for the winter. The first of these was in the home area about Sainte Marie. Fathers Lalemant, Le Mercier, Pijart, and Poncet, were to minister to the nation of the Ataronchronons dwelling in the near-by villages, which were dedicated to Ste. Anne, St. Louys, St. Denys, and St. Jean. The number of souls in their charge was estimated at 1,400. The second mission, that among the Attigneenongnahac, was tended by Fathers de Brebeuf and Chastellain. Their main residence would be that of St. Joseph's in Teanaustayae, and from there they would visit the villages of St. Michael and St. Ignace. The third mission was to the nation of the Attignawantan, which headquarters at Ossossane, and with the care attached of twelve hamlets in the district. To those were assigned Fathers Ragueneau, Du Peron, and Chaumonot. The fourth mission was to the Arendarhonons, the nation to the south, among whom no settlements had been thus far attempted. Fathers Daniel and Le Moyne were the pioneers to the people. They planned to live at Cahiague, the village of St. Jean Baptiste, and from there to evangelize the smaller villages of St. Joachim and Ste Elizabeth." (Ste. Elizabeth being the much smaller mission active in the summer season, that was located somewhere between the southern boundary of the District of Muskoka, and the northern shoreline of Lake Couchiching, north of Orillia.)
     The passage above was taken from the biography, "Saint Among Savages - The Life of Isaac Jogues," by Francis Talbot, Society of Jesus, published by Harper & Brothers in 1935.

WHERE WAS STE. ELIZABETH - THE JESUIT MISSION OF THE 1600'S?

SOUTH MUSKOKA  OR WASHAGO? THE JESUITS TRAVELLED IN OUR DISTRICT IN THE 1600'S!

     CONTAINED IN THE "JESUIT MISSIONS," IS A DETAILED MAP OF HURONIA AND ABUTTING REGIONS, INCLUDING THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA. STE. ELIZABETH IS CLEARLY MARKED ON THE MAP, SITUATED NORTHEAST OF WASHAGO AND SOUTHEAST OF SEVERN BRIDGE. THERE HAVE BEEN LONGSTANDING DISAGREEMENTS BETWEEN HISTORIANS, AS TO ITS PRECISE LOCATION, AS THE SITE HAS NEVER BEEN POSITIVELY HISTORICALLY-GEOGRAPHICALLY IDENTIFIED, AND PHYSICALLY LOCATED. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY STORIES SPUN BY LONG TIME AREA RESIDENTS, SPECULATING ON WHETHER IT WAS CLOSER TO THE NORTHERN SHORE OF LAKE COUCHICHING, OR STRADDLING THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA. SOME WASHAGO AREA RESIDENTS BELIEVE IT HAD BEEN BUILT ON WHAT IS NOW CULTIVATED FARMLAND, A SHORT DISTANCE FROM THE VILLAGE'S MAIN STREET. I HAVE PERSONALLY DISCUSSED THE MATTER WITH A NUMBER OF LOCAL RESIDENTS, OVER THE YEARS, BUT HEARSAY IS PRETTY MUCH ALL THE INTREPID HISTORIAN CAN GET, WITHOUT BENEFIT OF A LARGE SCALE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY. THE LONG ERODED AND MATTED-OVER RUINS, OVER WHAT WAS LIKELY A PORTABLE ENCAMPMENT IN THE FIRST PLACE, WILL LIKELY NEVER BE FOUND, UNLESS A MAJOR FIND IS MADE BY SOMEONE TURNING OVER ITS COVERING TOPSOIL, OR WHEN DIGGING THE BASEMENT FOR A NEW HOME. AT THAT POINT, AN ASSORTMENT OF ARTIFACTS COULD BE DISCOVERED, ON OR NEAR THE 1600'S MISSION SITE.

     IN ADDITION THERE IS SPECULATION ABOUT ANOTHER MOVABLE JESUIT MISSION, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF HALIBURTON COUNTY. NILA REYNOLDS, IN THE HISTORICAL TEXT, "IN QUEST OF YESTERDAY," CONFIRMED THAT RUINS WERE INDEED FOUND OF A POSSIBLE RELIGIOUS SITE. "AN INTRIGUING MYSTERY IS POSED BY AN OLDTIMER'S TALE, OF RUINS OF A THREE FOOT THICK STONE FOUNDATION, ON A HILLSIDE BY THE SHORES OF GULL LAKE (HALIBURTON), WHICH NO LIVING PERSON COULD ACCOUNT FOR. SPECULATION, ELIMINATING THE LUMBERMEN'S CAMBOSE CAMP AND THE ARCHITECTURAL EFFORTS OF THE INDIANS, CAN CHOOSE BETWEEN A MISSION, (JESUIT FATHERS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE MINISTERED TO RESIDING ALGONKINS) AND A TRADING POST INTERCEPTING THE FUR TRAFFIC CHANNELLED TO TORONTO, NIAGARA OR ALBANY VIA THE GULL RIVER. LIEUT. WALPOLE'S MAP OF HIS EXPLORATORY SURVEY IN 1827 REVEALS 'TRADER'S HOUSES' ON GULL LAKE'S NORTHERN END, LOGICAL SUPPORT OF THE LATTER SURMISE."

JESUITS IN MUSKOKA?

     As Samuel de Champlain touched the western shoreline of Muskoka, in the 1600's, accordingly documented in his own journal, it is possible, with references in the Jesuit Relations of the same century, that they, the Jesuit Fathers, also penetrated deeply into the Muskoka region during their christianizing missions. Of considerable interest, is the whereabouts of the mission of Ste. Elizabeth, which was at most, only a few miles from the southern boundary. Considering that Sainte Elizabeth was serving the seasonally roaming Algonquins, and that the Jesuits would move their missions accordingly, it is of considerable potential, that they would have set up their temporary sites, to the north in Muskoka. I think it is worth some historical investigation, to find out how far they did move into the region, beyond the established mission of Ste. Elizabeth, likely in the area between Washago and Severn Bridge.

     There are enough references documented regarding Jesuit travels in our part of the province, to conduct more research, in an effort to better understand the nature and composition of Ste. Elizabeth, and how it drew the Muskoka district into this early and tumultuous period of Canadian history. It is said of Ste. Elizabeth that it was likely plowed under by area farming practices over a century ago, and in all likelihood, impossible to ever positively situate, other than in the most general of terms. But it is fascinating to me that Sainte Elizabeth existed, and in face evaded local and national historians for decades. And when the Iroquois made their horrific ambush on the missions in Huronia, Sainte Elizabeth was in the same desperate circumstance as the other missions in flames, and was regretfully abandoned in the haste of battle.

     Florence Murray, in the highly regarded text, "Muskoka and Haliburton, 1615-1875," published by the Champlain Society, reported the following information concerning aboriginal activities at the time of Brebeuf and the Jesuit missionaries:

     "The Muskoka and Haliburton area, with its chain of lakes and rivers, its fur bearing animals, its fish, wild fruit, and maple sap, would have supported a large Indian population, but written evidence suggests that until very recent years, it was harbored by only nomadic groups. In historic times it has been a hunting ground for three Indian peoples in turn; the Algonkin, the Iroquois, and the Ojibwa.

     "To what extent the people of Algonkian stock hunted the beaver, bear and fox, or fished in the lakes and rivers of Muskoka and Haliburton can never be known. They came in small groups or families, camped a brief time and were gone. Summer's growth and winter storms have long since obliterated almost all traces of the fleeting camps. There is no definitive evidence to show that either the Hurons or Algonkins knew the water routes which led from Georgian Bay across the Muskoka and Haliburton area, to the Ottawa. Certainly the Hurons were accustomed to take the longer route by way of the French River and Lake Nipissing on their traditional expeditions to Quebec."

     Murray writes that, "The Jesuit Fathers found that difficult as it was to Christianize the Hurons, it was nothing compared with the hardships involved, in following the wandering Algonkins from camp to camp. The Jesuit Relations show no missions which can definitely be located in Muskoka or Haliburton but include two to the Algonkins; the mission of Ste. Elizabeth and the Mission of the Holy Ghost, which no doubt served some of the Indians who hunted in the area. The Mission of Ste. Elizabeth was started between 1640 and 1644 for Algonkins who had been driven from the St. Lawrence Valley, by the Iroquois, and had sought refuge among the Hurons, and for other Algonkins who went south to winter near the Hurons. This mission had been located by Du Creux, and by Father A.E. Jones, as being at the north end of Lake Couchiching, two or three miles south of the present territorial limits of the Muskoka district. Father Jerome Lalemont's report on the Mission of Ste. Elizabeth, 1644-166:

     "The Iroquois, who make themselves dreaded in the great river, St. Lawrence, and who every winter, for some years have been hunting men in these vast forests, have compelled the Algonquins who dwelt on the banks of the river, to abandon not only their hunting grounds but also their country, and have reduced them this winter to come here near our Hurons, in order to live more in safety, - so much so, that a whole village of these poor wandering and fugitive tribes came near the Village of Saint John Baptiste. We were obliged to give them some assistance, and for that purpose to associate with Father Antoine Daniel, who had charge of the Huron Mission of which I have spoken in the preceding chapter. Father Rene Manard, who having a sufficient knowledge of both languages had, at the same time, charge of this Algonquin Mission, to which we have given the name of Sainte Elizabeth."

     Notations in the text indicated that Ste. Elizabeth "was as nomadic as were the Algonquins it served."

     "Father Antoine Daniel (1601-1648) came to Canada in 1632 and went to the Huron Mission a year or two later. He remained there, except for the years from 1636-1638, until his death in the Iroquois attack on St. Joseph, July 1648. Father Rene Manard (1605-1661) was sent to Canada in 1640. He worked at Huronia, first with the Mission of the Holy Ghost, later with that of Sainte Elizabeth. After the destruction of Huronia in 1649, he ministered to the Iroquois and to the tribes on Lake Superior."

     According to the text of the "Jesuit Missions," published in 1920, "Father Rene Manard, while following a part of Algonquins to the wilds of Wisconsin, lost his way in the forest and perished from exposure or starvation." 

     Thomas Guthrie Marquis, author of "The Jesuit Missions," suggests that from the new central mission at Sainte Marie (Midland), "the missionaries went forth in pairs to the farthest parts of Huronia and beyond. The good work went on, notwithstanding trials and reverses. The story of the Cross was being carried even to the Algonquins and Nipissings of the upper Ottawa and Georgian Bay. The teaching and example of the fathers was winning a way to the hearts of the Indians. In 1648 eleven or twelve mission stations stood throughout Huronia, among the Algonquins, and among the Petuns, now settled in the Blue Hills of Nottawasaga Bay. Seven of these stations had chapels and in six it had been found necessary to establish residences. The chapels had bells -  some discarded kettles served this purpose. To call the flock to worship; and crosses studded the land. Huronia was in a fair way of being completely won; and the missionaries were already looking to the unexplored regions round and beyond Lake Superior, and even to the land of the Iroquois."

     (Father Paul Ragueneau's Report on Algonkin Mission - 1645 - Jesuit Relations)  "Father Claude Pijart and Father Leonard Gareau, who had wintered with the Algonquins on the shores of our great lake, and in the midst of the snows, which cover these countries more than four or five months, followed those same tribes throughout the summer, upon the bare rocks which they inhabit, exposed to the heat of the sun; and thus spent with them almost all the past year. They had left us at the end of the month of November, after four or five days's journey - in which they had to combat the winds, the snows, and the ice which was beginning to form in every direction - they saw themselves constrained to leave their canoe, still distant more than three leagues from the place they were aiming to land.

     "Father Jean de Brebeuf went, toward the end of autumn to a place named Tangouaen, where dwell some Algonquins and where some cabins of Hurons have taken refuge, in order to live there more sheltered from the incursions by the Iroquois, for it is a retired country, and surrounded on all sides by lakes, ponds, and rivers, which make this place inaccessible to the enemy. It was a journey extremely difficult for the Father, and for a young Frenchman who accompanied him thither; but their consolation much surpassed their hardships, when they found in the midst of those profound foresters and those vast solitudes a little church which they had gone to visit. By this, I mean a whole family of Christians, who find God by these woods…..The Father, having spent some days in that solitude, was in haste to accelerate his return, fearing to be surprised by the ice and winter which was beginning, and which in fact, stopped him on the way, and placed him in danger of dying from both hunger and cold, and of perishing in the lakes and rives which they had to cross."

     Florence Murray's text however, indicates that "There is no direct evidence to show where the Algonkins were living at this time. The Jesuit Relations suggests that Tangouaen was on the north side of the Severn River, in Baxter or Wood Township." Murray also notes, "Father A.E. Jones, a noted researcher of Jesuit missions, believed that rather than Muskoka, Father Brebeuf had actually made it to the north of Lake Nipissing. Jones equated the time factor of the trip to determine the distance travelled. In an earlier piece written by Gabriel Sagard (1623-24) he tells of exploring some regions of Muskoka from its Georgian Bay shoreline. "Two days before our arrival among the Hurons, we came upon the fresh water sea (Lake Huron) over which we passed from island to island, and landed in the country so greatly longed for on Sunday, the Festival of St. Bernard about midday, with the sun beating down perpendicularly upon us." Murray reports, "On the return journey, Sagard and his company spent a day in an Algonkin Village, thought to have been on Beausoleil Island, and its geographically part of Muskoka."

     Maybe one day we shall find the location of Sainte Elizabeth. I would love to be the one who makes that discovery. I have secured a number of First Nation artifacts from the Severn Bridge, Washago area, and I will tell you all about in tomorrow's blog. Thanks so much for joining me for this historical feature blog, on a topic I've enjoyed for most of my career as a regional historian. I've been to Ste Marie-Among-The-Hurons so many times, I could be considered a permanent resident. Our whole family has found it to be one of the most compelling of all the historic sites we've ventured to, in this province, and if we even visited seven days a week, we'd still make discoveries we hadn't the time before.