Provincial plaques commemorate the Anishinaabeg at Lake of Bays
Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 1 p.m.
Chief John Bigwin, at Muskoka River, Bracebridge, Ontario. Photo: Thatcher Studio
For thousands of years, the area now known as Dorset was considered a special and spiritual place for the Anishinaabeg, the original people of the region. The Anishinaabeg travelled to the narrows at Trading Bay (Lake of Bays), set up camps, harvested maple syrup and birch bark, fished, hunted, trapped and traded. Eventually, the Anishinaabeg realized that their hunting and harvesting rights and territory had been lost through a series of treaties. The legacy of the original inhabitants lives on through the many landmarks, rivers, lakes and islands that bear Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) place names and the descendants of the Anishinaabeg who are members of the seven First Nations of the Williams Treaties (1923), the nearest of which is the Chippewas of Rama First Nation.
The Ontario Heritage Trust's Provincial Plaque Program commemorates significant people, places and events in Ontario's history. Since 1956, 1,280 provincial plaques have been unveiled.
Refreshments will be served after the unveiling.
Location:
Cedar Narrows Heritage Park
Located on Main Street, by the bridge
Dorset, Ontario