THE SQUIRE SITE, CONSECON
T H E R EV . B OW EN P . SQUI R E , B. L i t t .
C c ns e c on la k e is in t he Qu in t e ( K e n t e ) d is t r ic t , not f a r f rom T r e nt on, a nd B e lle v ill e .
I t is a b e a ut if ul lit t le la k e , a b out s ix m ile s in le n gt h b y o ne m ile in wid t h, a nd is m uc h
v is it e d in t he t o ur is t s e a s on b y t r av e lle r s f r om m a ny p a r ts of t he c ount r y. wh o c om e t o
c a t c h t he f is h wit h whic h t h e la k e a b ound s . C on s e c o n la k e wa s not a lwa ys it s p r e s e nt
s iz e , b ut wa s gr e a t ly e nla r ge d a f t e r a c lam wa s b uilt in 1 8 0 6 t o im p ound t he wa t e r s of
t he c r e e k t ha t b is e c t s t his is l a nd c ount y.
I nd ir e c t ly it wa s t his c r e e k , t ha t , b y b e ing ignor e d le d t o t he d is c ov e r y of t his s it e .
An a r t is t , a nd i ll us t r a t or , I wa s s t ud yin g l oc a l his t or y i n s e a r c h of d a t a t o a id m e in
p a int ing p ic t ur e s d e p ic t ing l oc a l h is t or y. I r e m a r k e d t hat in g e ne r a l t he B a y of Q uin t e
wa s a c c e p t e d a s t he p r inc ip a l wa t e r r out e f r om e a s t t o we s t , a nd v ic e -v e r s a , a cr os s t hi s
r e gion. L i t t l e or n o a t t e nt i o n wa s giv e n t o t he C r e e k , e v e n t houg h e a r ly c a r t ogr a p h e r s
ha d c ha r t e d it a s na v iga b le wa t e r . I n m y op ini on t his c r e e k wo uld ha v e m a d e a m uc h
s a f e r r out e t ha n t ha t a long t he B a y. b e ing p r ot e c t e d f r om s q ua lls b y t he d e ns e w ood s t h a t
onc e li ne d it s b a nk s . J our ne y ov e r it w ould a ls o ha v e b e e n le s s l ia b le t o op e n
ob s e r v a t ion. T he c r e e k ha d t he s a m e t e r m ini a s t he B a y, v i z : t he wa t e r s c onne c t e d t o
De s e r ont o R e a c h i n t he e a s t , a nd la k e Ont a r io, v ia _ W e lle r ' s B a y, on t he we s t . W e lle r ' s
B a y lie s a c r os s T he C a r r ying P la c e f r om t he m out h of t he T r e nt r iv er whic h wa s one of t he
c hie f r out e s t o a nd f r om Hur onia .
C ha m p la in us e d t ha t r out e on his wa y t o a t t a c k t he Ono nd a ga t owns s out h of
Ont a r io, a nd r e t ur ne d t he s am e wa y f ollowi ng his d e f e a t . I t is c la im e d t ha t he s p e nt a t
le a s t a p a r t of t he wint e r of 1 6 1 5 -1 6 on or ne a r t o T he C a r r ying P la c e in P r inc e Ed wa r d
C ount y.
T he C a r r ying P la c e is a v e r y his t or ic s p ot , ha v ing onc e b e e n c ons id e r e d a s a s it e f or
t he c a p it a l of C a na d a . K nown t o h is t or ia ns a s t h e c r o s s - r oa d s of t he c o unt r y it wa s
t r av e r s e d a s a p or ta ge (he nc e it s na m e ). b y t he I nd ia ns s inc e e a r lie s t t im e s . L a t e r , the
F r e nc h f ur -t r a d e r s t r av e lle d ov e r it . F ina lly it b e c a m e t he s it e w he r e up o n wa s s igne d t he
Gun s hot T r e a t y wit h t he Mis s is s a uga I nd ia ns in 1 7 8 7 . I t is n ow a s m a ll wa y s id e v il la g e ,
b a r e ly not ic e d . ' Sic t r a ns it glor ia m unc h. '
T he Sq uir e s it e o n la k e C on s e c on is s it ua t e d s om e s e v e n m ile s s out h -e a s t of T h e
C a r r ying P la c e , a nd a b out t wo m ile s f r om W e lle r ' s B a y. I t is wor t h n ot in g t ha t a t r av e lle r
b y c a noe f r om t he De s e r ont o or N a p a ne e r e gion, or f r om F r ont e na c , t o L a k e Ont a r io in
t r av e lling v ia t he B a y w ould ha v e b e e n und e r t he n e c e s s it y of p or t a ging a c r os s t he n e c k
of la nd t ha t s e p a r a t e s t he two wa t e r s a t T he C a rr ying P la c e , whe r e a s b y t r av e lling t he
c r e e k r out e t his p or t a ge c oul d ha v e b e e n av oid e d .
I n I nd ia n t im e s , L a k e C ons e c on wa s b ut one ha lf it s p r e s e nt wid t h, b e ing s im p l y a
v e r y wid e , a nd v e r y d e e p , s e c t io n of t he c r e e k . L oc a l r um or s a ys t ha t t he la k e is
b ot t om le s s . T ha t of c our s e is im p os s ib le , b ut it i s c e r t a inly a gr e a t d e p t h. I t is c onne c t e d
wit h W e l le r ' s B a y b y a s ho r t , na rr ow s t r e t c h of wa t e r , in wh ic h it is p os s ib le t h a t
inv e s t iga t io n m ight d is c l os e t ha t f is h -t r a p s a nd we ir s ha d b e e n s e t in e a r ly d a ys .
F oll owi ng up m y t he or y t h a t t he c r e e k wa s us e d e xt e ns iv e ly b y t h e I nd ia ns I
c onc lud e d t ha t t he r e s hou ld b e t r a c e s of m or e t ha n one v illa ge s it e a long it s c o ur s e .
As W a up o os , a t it s e a s t e r n t e r m inus , ha s l ong b e e n k n own a s I nd ia n gr o und , it
a p p e a r e d s ur p r is ing t ha t n ot hi ng c om p a r a b le ha d b e e n d is c ov e r e d a t t he we s t e r n
t e r m inus of t he c r e e k wh ic h m us t ha v e f or m e d a p la c e o f gr e a t s t r a t e gic im p or t a nc e . A
v illa ge s it ua t e d in t h is p la c e c ou ld ha v e c ont r ol le d t r a f f ic ov e r t he c r e e k , a nd , b y a v er y
s hor t t r a il, t ha t ov e r T he C a r r ying P la c e , a t t he s a m e t im e , b e ing f a r e no ugh r e m ov e d
f r om t he la t t er t o e ns ur e a ls o, pr iv a c y, whic h inc id e nt a lly, m e a nt s a f e t y.
F r om t he h igh r id ge of la nd t ha t p a r a lle ls t h e la k e le s s t ha n o ne - ha lf m i le n or t h wa r d s , one m a y ye t ob t a in a c le a r v ie w of W e lle r ' s B a y, of T he C a r r ying P la c e , a nd of the
T r e nt r iv e r t o a p oi nt w e ll wit hi n t h e T r e nt hil ls . S ur e l y n o I nd ia n le a d e r w ou ld ha v e
ov e r look e d s uc h p os s ib ilit ie s a s t he s e !
L e ge nd s a ys t ha t t his la k e wa s k nown t o t he r e d m a n a s a fa m ous f is hing s p ot . T h e
I nd ia ns ga v e it it s na m e , whi c h s om e s a y wa s or igi na lly C on - h o-C on, a nd m e a nt P i c k e r e l
la k e , or t he P la c e of Ma ny F is h.
THE SQUIRE SITE, CONSECON
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I have a theory about this too, which may be as good as any other. My theory is that
the name is derived from Khan-ho-kharon, bearing the meaning of an Opening, or a wide
open place, for this is the widest and the deepest place along the entire waterway, and is
also the opening, or doorway into Lake Ontario.
Looking for the most suitable place for a site, I finally settled on the spot where-upon
stands my own home. The house stands on the middle terrace of the ancient glacial bed
where was once a promontory surrounded on three sides by swamp and lake, and the tip of
which is cut off one-half mile from its extremity by a turbulent little stream, winding
between step banks. Such a position would have been easily defensible.
The soil here is sandy loam suited to the primitive methods of agriculture, and the area
is protected on the north and on the west by higher land. Approximately one half-mile
distant are old salt-licks where in pioneer days the deer were wont to congregate in large
numbers. So it is reported anyway. On the promontory grow dense clumps of wild plum
trees. Wild strawberries, and blackberries are abundant. Wild grapevines festoon the trees
and fences. Sumac, and Indian hemp are found there.
Other spots also looked like good prospects, but I decided to try out this place first,
perhaps on a hunch".
I had lived on this farm for five years by then, most of which time had been devoted, in
spare hours, to the search for a suitable location. In 1952 I found my first evidence in the
form of sherds. Very small pieces they were, and so weathered that lying among the grass
roots they could hardly be distinguished from small stones. It was the following year before
test holes disclosed the presence of an ash deposit underlying the surface at a depth of
some ten inches, at the spot marked on the chart as a Midden.
My brother and myself trenched this midden and brought to light many pieces of
broken pottery, bone awls, fragments of clay pipes, etc. Subsequent testing has shown the
presence of numerous places where ash is present sub-surface at varying depths.
Some of these have been excavated by myself, and an amateur archeologist friend from
Belleville. The site discovery was reported to Doctor Alcock, Curator of the National
Museum, in Ottawa in 1953, and has since been visited by Thomas E. Lee, the very efficient
Field Archeologist, also of Ottawa.
Soon after the first discovery, another was made a short distance from it. The soil in
one spot over a roughly circular area of about ten feet diameter appeared of a different
texture to that surrounding it, being formed of a species of whitish clay mixed with waterworn small pebbles.
Suspecting that this may have once been a springhole long since dried up, I raked into
the soil about it and at an average depth of six inches found a number of artifacts of
polished slate, black, red, and green. Among them was a "birdstone " presumably made of
catlinite and a thin slate "gorget". The other articles were of small size, and appear to have
been used as beads, or as pendants. Also close to this spot we found a quite large
"Butterfly" or "Banner" stone made of sandstone. This artifact measures over six inches in
width.
Here too was found another banner or ceremonial stone of grey granite, or gneiss. This
piece is oval in outline, flattened, and is five and one-half inches in length. Close by was a
hexagonal shaped celt, pointed bluntly, and made of varicoloured brown granite.
Some small pieces of flint, or chert were found in this area, and minute particles of
clam shell. No pipes of any kind, and no pottery has been found in this place, which,
although it adjoins the "Indian" site, is clearly disassociated from it.
One is led to conjecture that Indians of a later day may for superstitious reasons have
preferred not to build their longhouses on the spot where a more ancient race had dwelt.
The two sites and the area over which sherds, etc., have been found comprise together
about three, perhaps four acres of ground. To date these sites have yielded a goodly number
of specimens. Almost one hundred differing designs have been noted on pottery sherds from
the village site.
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THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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T H E ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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THE ONTARIO ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
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Incidentally, this high ridge of land one-quarter of one mile north of the site has yielded
a few fragments of polished slate implements, one celt, one or two flint cores, some flakings
of chert, and shell fragments, all being surface finds. No digging has yet been attempted on
this ridge which is under alfalfa hay. It was however noticed that when freshly plowed a
series of roughly circular spots of sand were visible in straight rows across the top and on
the south slope of the hill. There were twenty or more of such spots, each being about three
feet in diameter. Whether or not these indicate anything of importance can only be
conjectured at present, and may never be determined.
Careful inquiries have shown that this site (or sites) was not known to, nor suspected
by anyone in the vicinity since the property was first settled by white people.
A suggestion has been offered that this may be the lost site of the "Iroquois Mission" of
Kente visited by D'Urfee in 1668, but as no traces of contact material have been found the
suggestion has been negated. It may yet prove to be the place where Champlain stayed in
1615 with friendly Indians, especially if he travelled via the creek from east to The Carrying
Place.
The strategic location of the village and its close proximity to the mouth of the Trent,
highway to Huronia, suggest this possibility, it being known that the wounded Champlain
did rest in this District.
Material found here dates from the Laurentian to approximately the early historic. One
stratified ash deposit has been located, with ashes in three strata to a depth of thirteen
inches, overlaid by fourteen inches of topsoil. Human bones have been taken from this
deposit, which covers a considerable area.
The drawings are illustrative of the type of material found to date. Consecon, Ontario,
April 17, 1957.