Jackes Archaeological Site Commemorative plaque, 2022.
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Resource ID
10142
Access
Open
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2022
Historical Themes
Program Category
Rights
Heritage Toronto
Time Period
Caption
Jackes Archaeological Site Commemorative plaque, 2022.
Description
This area was the location of a large Wendat village in the 1400s, known today as the Jackes Site. Studies suggest hundreds of people may have lived here, farming and using the fresh water of a nearby underground spring. It is named for the Jackes family, who farmed the land in the 1800s.
Around 1,000 years ago the Wendat, Neutral, Tionontati (Petun), and Anishinaabe peoples lived in the area. The Wendat, Neutral, Tionontati, and Haudenosaunee spoke related languages and farmed crops such as corn, beans, and squash. The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy moved into the region in the mid-1600s, and the Anishinaabe, who later signed treaties with the British Crown, lived in what is now Toronto by the late 1600s.
The village here was most likely made up of several longhouses. This plateau is one of the highest points in Toronto and ideal for defence. Artifacts from the site date from the mid-1400s and include stone and bone tools for sewing and fishing, pipes, pottery, and burnt corn. David Boyle, Ontario’s first professional archaeologist, visited the Jackes property in the late 1880s, but did not conduct thorough archaeological excavations. Many artifacts were taken from the site and lost in the following decades.
The Wendat lived in the area until they moved north due to local conflicts. The gradual formation of the Wendat Confederacy, a defensive alliance of several Wendat nations, through these movements may have motivated their northward migration from Lake Ontario.
Due to looting, limited archaeological investigation, and urbanization, a complete history of the site remains unknown. However, this strategic location was home to an important Wendat community.