For six weeks in the Spring of 1996, Laurentian University's Department of Sociology and Anthropology conducted an archaeological field school at two sites on the historic LaVase River portage. Dr. Pat Julig, along with Dr. Scott Fairgrave, and Ken Buchanan, headed the school that sought to further the understanding of the area's history. Approximately 20 students took part in the third-year course, camping out in North Bay's Champlain Park, at the end of Premier Road.
The site on the north bank of the LaVase River was first identified in 1961 by prominent archaeologist J.V. Wright. An excavation by Archaeological Services Inc. in 1995 determined that this site was used as a seasonal living area by small groups of natives, probably Nipissings, as far back as 1450 AD. Archaeological Services Inc. also found goods on the second site from the fur trade and evidence of Fort Laronde, a trading post from the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The dig by A.S.I. identified 4,000 chimney fragments from a wattle and daub chimney, a primitive type of chimney used by settlers in Canada up until the middle of the 19th century. The chimney fragments provide strong evidence of Fort Laronde's location. Working in the same area, Dr. Julig's students uncovered burnt timbers and forged nails. This was exciting news as historical reports mentioned that the post was built in the late 1700s and was abandoned in 1821. In addition, the forged nails dated to before 1830. Combined with historical references that situate Fort Laronde at the mouth of LaVase River, it is fairly certain that this was indeed the Fort's site. The final report from Dr. Julig is not due until Spring 1997.
Other intriguing finds included pseudo-scallop shell pottery sherds. These artifacts date back 1500 years to the Middle Woodland period, pushing back the date of the occupation of the site by over 1000 years! To put this into perspective, this was the beginning of the Dark Ages in Europe with the fall of Rome taking place only 50 years before. Samples of Knife-River flint were also found on site. This flint was used for the manufacture of stone tools and was widely traded in the Middle Woodland period. What is even more exciting is that Knife-River flint is found in North Dakota, over 2,000 kilometres (1200 miles) from the site. This provides an indication of how extensive the pre-historic trade networks were.
The archaeological team also found post moulds on the North Bank site. A post mould is a stain in the sterile layer of soil that is left from a post driven deep into the ground. As the post rots it is filled with dark soil from the decaying wood, leaving a stain in the lighter-coloured soil. The post moulds found may be from a wigwam, drying rack, fencepost or some other type of structure. We will have to wait for the final report to find out what they are from! |  |
During the winter of 1996/97, Dr. Julig and his students will continue to uncover the past with the second half of their project. This will involve diagnostic work on the artifacts to determine who made them, where they originated from and what they were used for. Watch this web site for news in 1997!
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