Published in the Peterborough Examiner 08/28/2015

Champlain Week in Peterborough runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5.

Since my column on Champlain I have had requests to be more specific about exactly where Champlain went when he passed through this area 400 years ago. It is possible to speculate, but it is impossible to be precise. Champlain wrote about his trip, and included many references to distances and punctuated his account with specific dates. However, his landmarks were transient, such as trees and bends in the river. Still, it is possible to make some suggestions.

One approach might be to consider where Champlain went if he used the Chemong Portage. The Chemong Portage was the six mile link between Nogojiwanong, the foot of the long rapids on the Otonabee River, and Bridgenorth, the landing spot on Lake Chemong. The route is roughly mirrored by the Reid Street and Chemong Road of today, but on this it is possible to be more precise.

When Smith township was being surveyed, the surveyor noted points where the ancient trail crossed Chemong Road. The Friends of Chemong Portage considered such sources and produced a map of the portage route, a copy which Murray Paterson donated to Trent Valley Archives last week. The trail begins near the foot of Simcoe Street where the Peterborough Historical Society erected a plaque to Nogojiwanong. They show the route following the course of the land although going over the St. John’s Church hill rather than around it. It then proceeds in a northerly direction crossing Parkhill between Benson and Aylmer. It more or less follows this line continuing west of Benson crossing Sunset just east of Northminster Church. The reconstructed route then crosses to the west side of Chemong a couple of times before staying midway between Chemong (County Road 18) and Hilliard, although tending closer to Chemong. The route crosses Chemong Road just south of Bridgenorth and hits the lake close to the marker to Champlain that is just behind Tim Hortons.

With respect to the city part of this route my routing of the portage differs. I think the Brock Street Burial site near the city parking lot on the north side between George and Aylmer was likely near a campsite on the portage route. The route would then run north of Jackson’s Creek and run between Rubidge and Reid to near the site of the Smithtown Hill monument to the organized group of settlers who came from Cumberland, England in 1818.

The town of Peterborough was largely flat at the centre, which was a reason for its selection as the ideal landing spot, at the head of river navigation. One would expect to avoid the Court House hill which included St. John’s Church. As well, one would expect to avoid the peak of the Smithtown Hill, probably by hiking on the western slope of the hill.

However, the townsite was not entirely flat. There were swamps and hillocks that would have deflected the route of the ancient pathway. There was a large swamp south of Townsend and George Street was not extended south of Townsend until the twentieth century. Catharine Parr Traill in 1832 described the location of Peterborough as superior to other places she had seen in Upper Canada. “The rapidly growing town,” she noted, “was on a high, elevated plain that presented delightful views in any direction.” She also marveled at the “diversity of hill and dale, wood and water.” The log school house on McDonnel street east of Water doubled as the Anglican church and was her “church in the wilderness”. It was at the foot of a gentle slope and surrounded by small oaks and pines and emerald green grass.

The white pine that grew in Peterborough was described by early settlers as Weymouth pine, and seemed to be scrubby compared to the towering white pine that defined the new region. The Weymouth pine was white pine. It was named for the pines that were taken to England in 1620 by George Weymouth. English settlers to Peterborough identified the pine as like the English version.

When Samuel Wilmot surveyed Smith Township in 1818 the land for the Communication Road (Chemong Road) he was crossing several drumlins, and the quality of the land for farming varied by how much was on the slope. He noted that there were oak plains at each end of the portage, and this seems to indicate that the area had been cleared and farmed at some earlier point.

Leslie Frost in his book, Forgotten Pathways of the Trent (1973), argued that Champlain and the several hundred First Nations of the Wendat, Algonquin and other allies would have taken the Chemong Portage. For similar reasons, he argued that they likely took long portages of the Talbot River and Percy Portages. In all three cases there were long stretches of waterways that were considered unnavigable. With respect to the Talbot River portage, Champlain’s account noted that they “carried their canoes about ten leagues by land” to Balsam Lake. However, he is not so explicit concerning the other two portages.

Champlain’s succinct description through this area was: “From this [Balsam Lake] flows a river which discharges into the great lake of the Entouhonorons [Lake Ontario]. After traversing this lake we passed a fall [Fenelon Falls], and continuing our course down this river for about 64 leagues [about 140 miles] entered the lake of the Entouhonorons, having passed, on our way by land, five falls, some being from four to five leagues long. We also passed several lakes of considerable size, through which the river passes. The latter is large and very abundant in good fish.”

Champlain commented on the excellent hunting and fishing, and observed that some trees seemed to be planted for ornament. “It is certain that all this region is very fine and pleasant.” Their journey consisted of short days and constant hunting. They left Cahiagué on Sept. 1, were at the fishing weir between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching a few days later and reached the end of Lake Ontario on Oct. 3, a journey of 33 days. After caching their canoes, they were still a week from the Onondaga village which was their objective.

The return trip began October 18 and they were back in Cahiagué on Dec. 23, about 66 days later. They were camped for 38 days from Oct. 27 to Dec. 4 at “Champlain’s Rest.”

Local legend ties this 38 days of resting to the Peterborough area, and most strongly to the area at the end of the Chemong Portage, near Lake Chemong. There seemed to be several reasons for resting. Champlain had wanted to return to Quebec City but the Wendat wanted him to return to Huronia. Champlain had been wounded in the fight at the Onondaga village. There was an opportunity to stock up on food because of the great hunting. As well, the ground became firmer as the frost settled in.

Champlain’s description of what happened after retrieving the canoes and continuing to Champlain’s Rest is very brief. “The next day, the 28th of the month, they began to make preparations; some to go deer-hunting, others to hunt bears and beavers, others to go fishing, others to return to their villages. An abode and lodging were furnished me by one of the principal chiefs, called _D’Arontal_, with whom I already had some acquaintance. Having offered me his cabin, provisions, and accommodations, he set out also for the deer-hunt, which is esteemed by them the greatest and most noble one. After crossing, from the island, the end of the lake, we entered a river some twelve leagues in extent. They then carried their canoes by land some half a league, when we entered a lake which was some ten or twelve leagues in circuit, where there was a large amount of game, as swans, white cranes, outardes, ducks, teal, song-thrush, larks, snipe, geese, and several other kinds of fowl too numerous to mention.”

These distances total about 36 leagues or about 80 miles, which seems to underestimate the distance between Kingston and Bridgenorth. Champlain might have underestimated his distances, or he may have been calculating from west of Amherst Island. In Champlain’s description it is not clear which island, which river and which lake were meant.

Earlier historians had assumed implicitly or explicitly that the expedition simply reversed their original route, which would return them to the Chemong Portage area. In this reading of Champlain’s summary, the large lake would be Rice Lake.

Two recent observers suggest Champlain came up the Crowe River, and that the lake is Stoney Lake. If they continued on this path, they would stay with the chain of lakes in the Kawarthas eventually reaching Huronia. The Crowe and its tributaries might be easier to navigate than the Otonabee.

After reviewing the options, there is no compelling evidence to change the old view. In my opinion, it is most likely that Champlain’s Rest was near Bridgenorth.

It is fortunate that Champlain recorded his impressions and observations so clearly; it would have been even better if we had more detail.

The complete version of Champlain’s words in English translation have been printed in the August 2015 issue of the Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley. In this excerpt, historian H. P. Biggar contributed notes giving his views of what was meant, and I included these. It can be purchased for $15 at the Trent Valley Archives, 567 Carnegie Ave., at the corner of Woodland Drive.

The new book, Finding Champlain’s Dream will be launched at the Open House at Trent Valley Archives, Sept. 5, from 1 to 4 pm. Elwood H. Jones, Peter Adams and Al Brunger will be on hand to sign the copies. Another new, Peterborough Archaeology, will be launched at the same time. So it looks like a good day to be at Trent Valley Archives. See you there.