Upper Gap Archaeological Site

on highway 33 (Loyalist Parkway), across the road from the Napanee Generating Station

Commemoration

First Nations peoples lived in this area thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. In 1995, archaeological evidence of Iroquoian settlement was discovered nearby. The artifacts found reflected several periods of habitation dating from A.D. 700 to A.D. 1400 and included the remains of decorated ceramic pots, vessels for cooking and storage, and stone tools. Hundreds of years ago, the Iroquois lived in longhouses and practised an agricultural way of life, cultivating primarily corn, beans and squash. This site was likely chosen for its strategic location overlooking the open channel or Upper Gap between Amherst Island and Cressy Point. It provided access to Lake Ontario for fishing, hunting, gathering, ceremonial purposes and for other Aboriginal peoples.

Background

First Nations peoples covers a variety of different societies that changed over time. The time covered by this archeology includes that known as the Late Woodland period.