Home | Archive | Travel | Videos | About

	story Alex Eberspaecher   photographs Judy Eberspaecher The Huron giant Kitchikewana, spurned by the princess Wanakita, was overcome by grief. In despair, Kitchikewana scooped a handful of earth and threw it into Georgian Bay, creating the 30,000 Islands. …so it is recorded on the plaque by his monument in Penetanguishene, as he stands guard over the waters to the north, waters that are so clean and teaming with life that they have become the envy of the world. Indians kept no records, Herbert Cranston writes in HURONIA – Cradle of Ontario’s History, and so we must accept what was handed down over generations. Indeed, although facts may become somewhat blurry over time, legends are often more reliable than written documents that can take on many different meanings in translation. What can be stated with conviction however is that Huronia, as part of the Southern Georgian Bay area, is indeed the cradle of Ontario; not Ottawa or Toronto, nor Kingston with its impressive military establishment, but the sleepy village of Penetanguishene and the nearby town of Midland. The fact that Southern Georgian Bay boasts the longest freshwater beach in the world and that the waterway to the north with its thirty thousand islands has been described as the finest and most challenging boating area anywhere, might be purely coincidental. That unto itself makes Huronia unique, as does much of the history that followed. In a world that had been (and still is much today) conquered mainly by military force, Ontario was founded by a handful of ‘men of the cloth’. Unlike the soldiers, dictators and politicians of the past that have long been lost in the fogs of history, the Jesuits, the real founders of Ontario, are today very much still part of the Penetanguishene and Midland area. Such wars as the battle on the Plains of Abraham or the war with our friends of 1812 were only mistakes of a much later date, mistakes arising out of greed or misunderstanding, but always a failure of diplomacy. Huronia is the name given by the white man to that beautiful land as he arrived four hundred years ago when the natives still tilled the fertile soil, fished, hunted game, trapped animals and lived in peace with nature.   It was here in the new world, Huronia, that the destiny of New France  – which would later become Canada –was determined in terms of whether it was to be ruled in English or the French. Huronia was also a land that saw much tragedy and suffering. Standing proud until the Jesuit priests arrived to convert the natives to Christianity, Huronia was introduced to diseases and famines as a result of the forced lifestyle. Wars between native nations, often started by the white man, resulted in the decimation of much of the native population and its culture. Today, the towns of Penetanguishene and Midland, less than two hours drive from Toronto, are probably the two most underrated destinations in Ontario, if not in all of Canada. Penetanguishene with its historic and safe port is the home of Discovery Harbour. It was here, just outside the present town that Upper Canada’s first governor, John Graves Simcoe, established the earliest British naval base in 1817. Although hostilities between Canada and the Unites States were a regular occurrence, the presence of the base assured Canada’s sovereignty of the region. Two of the British naval ships, the Tecumseth and the Bee based out of Penetanguishene, never even fired a shot in anger. Today, visitors to the establishment  – that was augmented in 1828 for a few years by a military force of about a hundred men and officers – can board the remarkably recreated seaworthy vessels of the H.M.S.Tecumseth and the H.M.S. Bee. Indeed these ships are so similar to the original vessels that both of them have been made honourary warships in the Royal Navy. The historic establishment takes the visitor through a day in the life of the men and the three women, as they lived and worked almost 200 years ago, a great learning experience that closely follows the new Ontario school curriculum. A visit with the whole family to the Penetanguishene Naval Establishment is an incredible not to be missed experience of our heritage. While in town make sure you visit the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum, located minutes from the town docks, for one of the most complete collections of bygone days or simply to see the ghostly footprints in the old Beck store before it became a museum. Today the predominant language and indeed the culture, of Penetang is still French, though with few exceptions, everybody also speaks English, as long as you don’t call Penetanguishene Penetang. About a hundred years ago when the train to Midland ran to the village, bureaucrats were unable to fit the whole name of Penetanguishene on the standard sized railway signs so the name was shortened to Penetang. The trains stopped coming by in the fifties or sixties and the rest, just like everything up there, is history. While we have a Francophone village in Penetanguishene that grew from the historic British naval base, in nearby Midland we have a predominantly English-speaking community arising out of the French-based Jesuit Mission of Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons. Perhaps we can see the paradox in this, but it is so uniquely Canadian. Built between 1639 and 1649, the 17th century fortified compound was the headquarters for the French Jesuit Mission that had been established, encouraged by Samuel de Champlain, to Christianize the native Wendat or Huron First Nation Peoples. Today, located in the town of Midland, this nationally significant historic site stands recreated on the original foundations in the shadows of the nearby Jesuit Martyrs’ Shrine, along the banks of the Wye River that empties into Georgian Bay. Although Jesuit records tell us that Sainte-Marie prospered, despair and resentment increased over the years in the nearby native villages. Cultures clashed and epidemics of influenza, measles and smallpox decimated the native population dramatically. While no records suggest that it was the case at Sainte-Marie, it is known that military personnel back then occasionally presented gifts to the natives in the form of blankets that had been saturated purposely with the smallpox virus. In 1648 the Iroquois attacked the new settlement and killed a number of Wendats along with father Antoine Daniele. The following year Father Brebuf and Father Lalemant, along with hundreds of native people were captured and killed. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons is an experience that anyone interested into Canada’s history simply must not miss. An introductory audio presentation will set us into the time period before we enter the site with its costumed staff, 25 reconstructed buildings complete with some of the original stone foundations. Special presentations include firestarting, historic clothing, foods and medicines. The Children’s Heritage Programme includes quill pen writing and candle and corn doll making during the summer season. The arrival each afternoon of a freighter canoe delivering goods to the fort is an event that is especially interesting to the youngsters and adults alike. A stop at the nearby Martyrs’ Shrine could complete a visit and close by within Midland, the Huronia Museum’s superb display, centered around the history of Southern Georgian Bay, from Native Peoples to shipping and early transportation, serves not only as an educational centre but also a very useful resource to those who like to explore our heritage even further. The town of Midland is not an ordinary town. It boasts one of the largest collections of outdoor murals in the world; in fact the one that has been painted on the old grain elevators down by the harbour is reputed to be the largest one in the world. Then again Penetanguishene and Midland are special towns in every aspect. Just ask the proprietor of the Elegant Gourmet on King Street. One morning about three years ago, when she opened her store, a full grown bull moose entered through the backdoor, walked straight through the store, presumably sniffing the freshly baked bread, then walked straight out of the still locked front door.  According to some witnesses that were fishing in the harbour, it walked down the main street to the harbour, jumped into Georgian Bay and disappeared, swimming into history. Perhaps when you take one of the cruise boats out of Penetanguishene or Midland on your excursion through the 30 Thousand Islands, if you take a closer look along the shores of that large island you pass directly on your left, you may just see him there. And why not, the island is the famous Giant’s Tomb, the same island at which our friend Kitchikewana from Penetanguishene found his eternal resting place.  GL	ABOVE A whole different world awaits visitors at Discovery Harbour ABOVE Discovery Harbour sawmill, Tecumseth and The Bee 157 ABOVE Alex waits for Discovery Harbour to open its doors ABOVE Myterious footprints ABOVE Midland's mural by Fred Lenz IF YOU GO Penetanguishene and Midland are located on the shores of Georgian Bay approximately 200 km north of Toronto. Exit highway 400 at highway 93 (2 exits north of Barrie) and go directly to Midland and Penetanguishene.  A day trip is possible but a 2-day excursion to see all the attractions is more realistic. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons is open daily from April 30 until October 7 and weekdays only from then on until November 2. Tel. 705-526-7838. Discovery Harbour is open daily from April to September 2nd. 705-549-8064. The Huronia Museum is open all year and information on boat cruises and other details can be found at www.southerngeorgianbay.on.ca or by phoning 705-526-7884. The Tourist Bureau can also assist in finding lodging.