OCARE is currently researching the nearly 10,000-year archaeological history of the Night Hawk Lake area near Timmins. Despite being one of northeastern Ontario’s largest lakes, archaeological work has never been carried out on the lake.  This piqued our interest in undertaking archaeological work to understand the archaeological and settlement history of this understudied lake.

 

Since 2016, substantial work has been undertaken to map the former shorelines of glacial Lake Ojibway, and identify the probable locations of the earliest human settlement in this portion of northeastern Ontario. Dozens of probable site locations have been identified, including sites dating to the retreat of the glaciers as well as the potential location of Ontario’s first French trading post, likely constructed on the lake in early 1673.

 

OCARE’s archaeological fieldwork during Summer 2020 will engage members of the public (currently numbering 12) over the course of multiple weeks in an effort to locate and document as many significant archaeological sites as possible. These sites will be the subjects of further research in the following years, involving public excavations and field school opportunities.