Smith's Canadian gazetteer - ElectricCanadian.com

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is very beautiful. Large quantities of fish are taken in the river (about 1200
barrels of Whitefish alone are generally taken annually), and the spoi-t.suian
usually finds abumlanco of wild ducks, wliieh breed in great numbers in the
marshes bordering some of the islands, and porti ns of the coast. The towns of
Sandwich and Auiherstburgh, and the village of Windsor are situated on its
banks.
On the bank of the river, a .short distance above Ainherstburg, is an Indian
reserve, occupied by Ohippewas, llurons, Munsecs, and Shawnecs. In the year
1790, when the council of the four nations, (Chipi)ewas, Ottawas. Hurons and
Pottawatauiies), surrendered to the government the extensive tract of land rn
Western Canada, now known as the Huron District, they stipulated for a reservation
of the hunting grounds then occupied by the Hurons and Wyandotts,
which comprised 22,390 acres, extending about si.K miles along the shore of
tJie Detroit River, and having a depth of seven miles. In the year 183fi, in
consetpience of the encroachments of the whites upon these lands, and the desire
wliich existed in that part of the country to be allowed to .settle upon tliem, the
government induced the Indians to surrender a large portion of their reserve, in
trust, to be sold for their exclusive benefit. By a subsequent agreement, made
in the next year by Sir F. Head, they resigned two-thirds of the reserve: tlie
proce^'ds of one-third to be applied to their exclusive benefit, and those of the
second and third lor the general purposes of the Indians in U]iper Canada.
The portion of the reserve still remaniing in their possession is about 8,000 acres
in extent, lipon this are settled each on a separate farm, the Chippcwas, and
other Indians. The ]Munsees and Shawnees are chiefly migratory, but the few
families wh have become in some measure stationary, live on the reserve, but
have not had separate farms a.'^signed to them, nor erected any dwellings. Tlie
Hurons have thirty-four dwelling-houses, of which thirty-three are made of logs,
and one is a ve'T comfortable frame dwelling of two stories, for the erection of
which they paid ,£2.")0. They have also ten l)arns, of which four are framed,
and twenty-three log stables. None of the Hurons live in wigwams, but tlie
Chippewas, except their chief, who resides at Point Pele, have no other habitations.
The land occupied by the Hurons is laid out in regular blocks of 200 acres
each, which are selected for the several families by the chiefs. Among this
tribe a man's children inherit his property, but if he leaves no children, his farm
becomes at the disposal of the chief. He has not the power of conveying his
interest to other members of his tribe, or to strangers. These Hurons have for
a long time been engaged, more or less, in cultivating tlie land, but until a few
years ago, they made little or no progress in husbandry ; more recently however
tliey have greatly and regularly extended their farms by clearing, and have
improved in their mode of agriculture. Many of them are good farmers, and
they are annually becoming more prosperous and happy.
About twelve years
ago, they had scarcely any agricultural implements but the hoe; they now possess
nineteen ploughs, ten harrows and six fanning-mills; they have also twelve
waggons and carts, fourteen sleighs, one caleche, and three carioles. They
have cleared 2,'59 acres; each male adult has a farm of 200 acres allotted to him,
on which many have from fifteen to thirty acres under cultivation; the average
is between seven and eight acres. Their stock consists of seven yoke of oxen,
nine bulls, eight steers, twenty-seven cows, fifteen heifers, ninety-three horses,
two hundred and ninety swine, and seventy-three geese. They have given up
tJie chase in a great measure, and oidy hunt occasionally, when their absence
does not interfere with their fanning operations, usually in the autunm. They
all profess Christianity; the majority are Wesleyan Methodists, and the others
Roman Catholics. They have no place of worship of their own. The Methodis-t
minister, however, who is stationed in the town of Amherstburg, visits those of
his persuasion every Sunday, and the Roman Catholics attend chapel at Amherstburg,
which is about three miles from their settlement, 'i'here is at present no
school among them, but they have expressed their desire to establish one.