oa 81 part 02 - Ontario Archaeological Society

10 Ontario Archaeology No. 81/82, 2006Muskrat Lake to the Meath Portage entrance atMeath Lake by canoe is about 22 km whenscaled on topographical maps. This distanceincludes the swampy areas at the head of theselakes, and the assumed circuitous canoe tripthrough Mud Lake into Meath Lake. A distanceof 22 km is in close agreement with a distance ofnearly seven leagues recorded by Champlain forthe length of Lac de Nibachis (Biggar 1922-1936:2:277) when using the petite lieue averageof 3.4 km (2.1 statute miles) (Heidenreich1976:44-46), rather than the 4.8 km (3 statutemiles) used previously by researchers.The Meath Portage extends about 3.8 km fromMeath Lake to Lower Allumette Lake. If higherwater levels than present occurred in LowerAllumette Lake, as seems likely, the portagewould have been shorter, consistent with a totallength of 3.4 km, or one petite lieue, the distancerecorded by Champlain for the overland trailfrom Lac de Nibachis to Tessoüat’s encampment.The Meath PortageThe Canadian Central Railroad was built in 1876between steep hills rising to 145 m (amsl) at theentrance at Meath Lake (Figure 4). Preparatoryconstruction work would have been necessary tomake this route suitable for this railway thatinclines from about 123 m (amsl) at Meath Lake toabout 137 m (amsl), before declination towardLower Allumette Lake. A portage trail possibly ledthrough this route to the north before railroad construction.Other walking routes could also, however,have been chosen. Champlain stated that thetrail to Lower Allumette Lake was to the northeast,not the route later taken by the railway. Tessoüat’scamp was probably located on the involuted southshore of Lower Allumette Lake, east of the presentdaylocation of Greenwood (Figure 1).Stoqua’s Portage versus the Meath PortageStoqua’s Portage and the Meath Portage are bothcontenders as walking routes (Figure 4). Thereare, however, some important differencesbetween them when each is considered from thepoint of view of Champlain’s guides in 1613.Stoqua’s Portage Road would be convenientwhen canoeing from the head of Muskrat Lakeand portaging to Lower Allumette Lake. Near thelocation of present-day Perretton, however, itcrosses the same stream twice. It is also longer thanthe Meath Portage. Low, wet areas of Stoqua’sPortage Road may have been sufficient reason forChamplain’s guides to avoid this route in favour ofthe Meath route, which was accessible by canoethrough the surrounding wetland. Considerationof the destination may have been more importantthan the condition of the trail. The Meathroute may have been deemed more suitable thanStoqua’s Portage Road for an important visitor.The Meath Portage would have been convenient,enabling a short overland trip to an importantdestination well known to Champlain’s guides.Tessoüat’s abode on Morrison Island would fitsuch an important destination, located near theend of a 3.8-km route to the northeast.The Winter Road used by early settlers waslikely based on a portage route from LowerAllumette Lake to the Muskrat Lake wetlandestablished sometime during the precontact era.This trail led directly to locations on the OttawaRiver near Morrison Island, where both MiddleArchaic period materials (5000-4000 B.P.) aswell as contact period artifacts dating to the timeof Champlain have been found (Clermont andChapdelaine 1998). The Meath Portage couldhave been used for several thousand years, providingan efficient means of travel to exploit theexcellent fishing in Lac de Nibachis. The 783-haMuskrat River wetland is an important waterfowlbreeding area where 17 species of cold andwarm water fish have been recorded (OntarioMinistry of Natural Resources 1990:31). Samuelde Champlain stated that this lake is so “abundantin fish that all the local surrounding tribesdo their fishing here” (Biggar 1922-1936:2:275).ConclusionsAccepting the Meath Portage as the route fromthe head of Muskrat Lake to Lower AllumetteLake taken by Samuel de Champlain in 1613,and published in 1614, meets our expectations ofhis known cartographic ability. Distances equatewell with the petite lieue as the league used by