Log Cabin Chronicles Indian Pottery found in Lake Memphremagog feature

Log Cabin Chronicles

Ancient Native American pottery discovered in Lake Memphremagog

GEORGEVILLE, QUEBEC | On August 17, 2000, Richard Thouin, owner of Centre de Plongée Memphré found a piece of Native American pottery in Lake Memphremagog at a depth of about forty feet. It had not been broken or damaged in any way, and was a unique item located in "Beautiful Waters, "" which what the first pioneers called the lake.

pottery While many divers have previously found Indian artifacts, it can be guessed that this find dates back to the Woodland Age - the period between 1000 AD and 1400 AD, and identifies with what is known as the Oswago tradition.

The Oswago people had a novel approach to pottery and especially those pieces used for cooking. At one time they made pots with thick, talls walls using considerable crushed rock for temper. As time elapsed, these people found ways to make their pots with thin, round walls using finely crushed rock for tempering.

These changes gave them pots that were more suited to boiling grain meals over hot fires. (Source: The First People of the Northeast - pg. 74).

We know that Lake Memphremagog was used extensively for traveling and as a place of residence. This was recorded as far back in time as 1788 in Pierre Sales de La Terrière's travels from Three Rivers to Boston via the St. Francis River, the Magog River, and Lake Memphremagog, as recorded in his memoirs, in which he documented importance of this lake.

In that account, written in French, we can read the following:

" je m'amusai à lire les noms, écrits sur des pierres et sur des bois équarris, de ceux qui avoient été envoyés là en découverte, et les noms, très nombreux, des étrangers qui y avoient passé depuis la découverte de ces régions.... Cette route est si fréquentée par les sauvages, que, de distance en distance, ils y ont des cabanes faites, que chacun répare et entretient à son tour; elles servent à tout primo campi.."

The writer substantiates his beliefs based on names engraved he found on hewed lumber and stones. He also found and documented finding huts at various intervals along the lake.

This information helps confirm what was published in Magog in the The Outlet a few months ago, written by Bea Nelson who gave an account of the Abenaki Indians.

She wrote: "The fur trade remained a way of life, but travel to refuge areas, away from settlers and soldiers, took the place of the trade travelers. The Memphremagog Basin was one of these areas of relative safety until the 1790s."

I believe this finding of pottery is worth a full season of diving. In research you have to keep the faith and as it is written in the Bible about faith, 'it will move mountains.'

There is no doubt in my mind but what Indians played an important role in history of Lake Memphremagog. It is regretful that people do not regard the history more seriously.

I think that raising of the lake's level due to damming has, in some respects, help preserve Indian artifacts such as found by Richard Thouin. The history of our lake is revealed by such findings.

Jacques Boisvert is the founder of the société internationale de dracontologie Lac Memphrémagog. His website is at www.memphre.com.

home | stories | features