On This Ground

On This Ground. . The Credit Mission, also known as the Credit Indian Village, was located on the site of what is now the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club. The Credit Mission was part of the Government's plan to settle Native peoples in one area and to allow for new settlement on the surrounding lands. The Mission was built in 1826 under the direction of Reverend Peter Jones (Kahkewaquonaby) and Colonel James Givins, Superintendent of the Indian Department. The village was located on the high grounds overlooking the Credit River. An early description of the village describes "an elevated plateau, cleared of wood and with three rows of detached cottages, among fields surrounded with rail fences." The village grew to include some 52 family dwellings and an estimated 500 acres were under cultivation., In addition to the village site, the Mississaugas also had use of land consisting of one mile on each side of the Credit River. From this land they grew grain, hay, apples, potatoes and other root vegetables. They also raised cattle, pigs and other livestock. By the late 1830s, the Credit River Mississaugas had cultivated nearly 900 acres of the 3,000 acre Credit Indian Reserve. In 1838 Eliza Jones, wife of Reverend Peter Jones, wrote:,

This little village ... is situated on the high and healthy banks of a fine river, whose beautiful flowing waters, well supplied with fish ... This village consists of about forty houses; some of these are called log, others frame; each surrounded by half an acre of land, in which the Indians plant every year either potatoes, peas, or Indian corn. In the centre stands, on one side the chapel and school-house, on the other the Mission-house; near which is reserved a lovely spot just on the brow of a sloping bank, sacred to the memory of the dead.

, Despite Government misgivings, the Mississaugas proved that the village was a success. They prospered, and early travellers' accounts illustrate the respect for and acknowledgement of what the Mississaugas were accomplishing:,

It is gratifying to perceive, that instead of the drunken and savage brawls, happiness and peace have sprung among them, good order, sobriety, and cleanliness in house and person. Their demeanor is moral, their attendance at divine worship regular, and their observance of the church service, grave and attentive.

, The Credit Mission thrived for more than a decade. Pressure from surrounding settlement, the loss of title to their traditional lands, and a decline in population led the Mississaugas to relocate to the New Credit Reserve in 1847. The village itself eventually vanished. The meeting lodge, a barn, and a building that was called the chief's residence stood until the 1920s. Since 1906 the property has been home to the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club. Even a portion of Mississauga Road which once ran through the village was realigned, obscuring the original site. However, on a high bank overlooking the river likely remains the cemetery from the Credit Mission.