Location of the LaVase Archaeological Sites

Two City parks exist on the LaVase River; one on either side. Champlain Park is on the north side of the river and the LaVase Nature Preserve is on the south bank. The park features a large picnic area, children's playground, hiking trails and swimming. The river has offered excellent fishing for millennia, and continues to do so today.

LaVase Portages

Two main archaeological sites have been located, one in Champlain Park, and another on LaVase Island, a privately-owned island at the river's mouth. The two sites, excavated in the Fall of 1995 and Spring of 1996, were selected for excavation because of their strategic location on the LaVase Portage system. The LaVase portages were of great importance during the fur trade as they provided the link between the Ottawa River watershed and the Lake Huron watershed. As such , they are known as to cross a watershed divide.

A watershed divide is simply the point at which two watersheds are divided. It is also commonly called a height of land. From Lake Nipissing, water flows down the French River, into Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and finally into the St. Lawrence River; from Trout Lake, water flows down the Mattawa River, into the Ottawa and then into the St. Lawrence River where it meets up with the Great Lakes drainage.

Because of the height of land, it is necessary for anyone travelling by water across this part of Canada to use a portage route between Lake Nipissing and Trout Lake. While the Parks Creek portage route was suitable for the natives and their smaller canoes, the LaVase portage system was identified as the best one for the Voyageurs and their large freight canoes. The portage began at Trout Lake, where it was necessary to first cross from Dugas Bay to Brandy Lake, then over the watershed divide to a long unnamed lake. After traversing the inland lake, the canoes were portaged to the LaVase River. The Voyageurs paddled down the river to what is now Laporte's Garden Centre. From Laporte's it was a long haul across what is now Pickin' Pete's Strawberry Patch, where they were able to re-enter the LaVase River. The rest of the way to Lake Nipissing was a leisurely paddle through wide, deep water.

The total distance from Dugas Bay to Lake Nipissing was approximately 9.6 km, with a total portage length of about 2 700 m or 2.7 km. The Voyageurs each carried two to four packs which weighed ninety lbs. (41kg) each. Many of them died from the strain and are buried along the portage route.

Because today's recreational canoes are much smaller and lighter than the Voyageur's, bridging the gap between the two watersheds doesn't require making the same long portages. To navigate the route, the portages on this map may be utilized, allowing the canoe to be on the water for a greater distance. Barring complications, the route should be open for public use in the summer of 1997. Potential travellers should be prepared for a full-days exercise, however. The LaVase Portages were possibly the toughest set in the whole trip from Montreal to Thunder Bay. Taking a canoe through requires an iron will and strong back! Still, the feeling of satisfaction in completing the crossing is enormous; very few people have completed it in the past century. For those looking at a less strenuous day, it is possible to hike in on several trails that follow the footsteps of the voyageurs.

It's possible to trace the fur trade route from Montreal up the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers to Trout Lake and the LaVase Portages. From here the route runs into Lake Nipissing and down the French River into Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay is on Lake Huron and it is possible to travel anywhere on the Great Lakes from here. To get back to Montreal you need only follow the drainage course through Lakes Erie and Ontario down to the St. Lawrence River. Because of its strategic location, the shortest water route across Canada involved utilizing the LaVase Portages. Nearly all of Canada's famous inland explorers have passed through the LaVase: Samuel de Champlain, Etienne Brule, La Verendrye, Fathers Lalement, Brebeuf and Le Caron, Radisson and Groseilliers, Alexander Henry, Alexander Mackenzie, Henry Thompson and John Franklin.

The LaVase Sites

The first site excavated was called the LaVase North Bank Site and was established near the historical plaque in Champlain Park. This dig site was identified as a dominantly pre-historic site (i.e. pre-European contact) based upon the retrieval of many pre-historical artifacts such as lithic flakes (left over from the production of stone tools) and pre-historic ceramic sherds, or fragments of clay vessels. These artifacts are considered to be pre-historic as clay vessels and stone tools were quickly replaced by steel European trade goods after contact with the French in the early 1600s. Evidence also supports the theory of the site being used during the fur trade era. This evidence consisted mainly of clay "voyageur" pipe fragments.

The second site excavated is on LaVase Island, a privately-owned island at the mouth of the LaVase river. This island was actually part of the mainland before a water-control dam on the French River was constructed in 1910, raising the level of Lake Nipissing by about 1.5 metres. The island was considered a potential site for the location of Fort Laronde as historical records described it as being near exposed bedrock and on the mouth of the LaVase River. The island, meanwhile, has a considerable amount of exposed bedrock and used to be located on the South Bank. It is a particularly rich archaeological site, yielding a wealth of historic and pre-historic artifacts. LaVase Island's pre-historic artifacts are native ceramic sherds and lithic flakes. As well, a large number of previously heated bones were found buried in an old garbage pit that have revealed details about the natives' diet. Of particular interest were historical artifacts from the early 19th century, the same time period of Fort Laronde.

Fort Laronde

Fort Laronde was established in the late 1700s or early 1800s by Eustach de Laronde, an independent Metis fur trader associated with the Northwest Company of Montreal. In 1821, the post was closed and moved to Garden Island near the Sturgeon River following the merger of the Northwest Company and the Hudson Bay Company. Artifacts providing evidence of the fort include chimney fragments from a wattle and daub chimney, a type of chimney used in Canada up until about 1830. It was rumoured that the fort had burnt down sometime after 1821, and burnt timbers were found with rosehead forged nails, dating to before 1830. Other artifacts included trade beads, tinkle cones, 19th century European ceramic and porcelain fragments, musket balls, ceramic European-style "voyageur" pipes and a brass "Jew's Harp".

Architectural remains

Selected glass beads

Back to the Lavase River/Fort Laronde