The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville has launched a pilot project at the Jean-Baptiste Lainé site to provide users of the trail system with additional information about the late 16th to early 17th century ancestral Wendat village.
“The signage was created in collaboration with the Wendat Nation as an opportunity for education that further solidifies the Town’s commitment to Reconciliation in our community,” Stouffville Mayor Iain Lovatt said.
Educational panels have been placed at each of the main entry points to the Jean-Baptiste Lainé site and leading to the commemorative Ontario Heritage Trust plaque, which was installed in 2017.
Entry points can be found near Wendat Village Public School, James Ratcliff Avenue, Lost Pond Crescent, and near the intersection of Byers Pond Way and Jonas Millway. Additional panels with further information can be found along the trail.
Trail users have the opportunity to provide their feedback to the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre at [email protected] prior to the installation of permanent signage in the future.
The Wendat were a great Iroquoian civilization of farmers, masters of trade & diplomacy, and fishermen-hunter-gatherers. The settlement had a population of 1,500 – 2,000 people. Following excavations by Archaeological Services Inc. between 2003-2005, over 150,000 artifacts were uncovered. Those artifacts are now housed at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec.
To learn more about the Jean-Baptiste Lainé Site, visit Archaeology Alive, a virtual exhibit at www.townofws.ca/jbl.
Photo: Archaeology Alive, a virtual exhibit at www.townofws.ca/jbl.
