The Excavation of Ste Marie I

This report sets forth the results of the excavation of the site known as Ste Marie I on the Wye River, near Midland, Ontario. It is hoped that it will be in some measure a contribution to our knowledge of a small but important episode in Canadian history; namely, the activities of the Jesuit Fathers in the decade of their residence among the Huron Indians. In the decade of their residence among the Hurons, the Jesuits attempted to build a native commonwealth founded on Christian belief: an attempt which was suddenly and utterly ended by the Iroquois raids of 1649. The very heart and core of this famous enterprise was the establishment called by the Jesuits themselves Ste Marie. Hitherto, knowledge of it has been confined to what could be learned from written records; this can now be augmented, especially in regard to its physical aspects, with the information obtained by means of archaeology, and presented in this report.