Victoria Harbour near Tay in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Ataronchronon Village

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 20, 2026

1. Ataronchronon Village Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In the early 1640's this site was home to the main village of the Ataronchronon people of the Huron-Wendat (8endat) Confederacy of Huronia. The Huron-Wendat tended crops of corn and squash, and harvested beaver, fish, deer, sunflowers, apples, plums, grapes, nuts and berries. Villages often relocated every 8 to 12 years as the sandy soil in the fields became depleted.

The people of the Iroquois Confederacy led a very similar agriculturally-based lifestyle in the territory south of Lake Ontario known as Mohawk Valley. The Huron-Wendat Nation was the first in this region to encounter European explorers, customs, weapons, economy, religion and disease. The development of the fur trade in the 1600's created increasing cultural pressure on Aboriginal nations as the colonies of European nations expanded. By 1640 multiple epidemics throughout Huronia had greatly reduced the population of the Huron-Wendat Nation from 30,000 to 10,000 people.

Au début des années 1640 se trouve à cet endroit le village principal du peuple Ataronchronon de la Confédération huronne-wendat (8endat) de la Huronie. Les Hurons-Wendat cultivent

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du maïs et des courges, chassent le castor et le chevreuil, pêchent le pisson et cueillent les graines de tournesol, les pommes, les raisins, les noix et les baies. Les villages se déplacent environ tous les 8 à 12 ans, car le sol. sableux des champs s'appauvrit au bout d'un certain temps. Les peuples de la Confédération iroquoise mènent une existence très similaire axée sur l'agriculture dans le territoire au sud du lac Ontario, connu sous le nom de la vallée mohawk.

La Nation huronne-wendat est la première dans cette région à rencontrer les explorateurs européens et à être mise en contact avec leurs coutumes, leurs armes, leur économie, leur religion et leurs maladies. Le développement du commerce des fourrures dans les années 1600 crée une pression culturelle grandissante sur les nations autochtones au fur et à mesure que les colonies européennes prennent de l'ampleur. En 1640, de nombreuses épidémies touchant Ta Huronie ont considérablement réduit la population de la Nation huronne-wendat, qui est passée de 30 000 à 10 000 personnes.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Indigenous Peoples and Communities

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 20, 2026

2. Ataronchronon Village Marker

The marker on the right

• Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1640.

Location. 44° 43.742′ N, 79° 46.867′ W. Marker is near Tay, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It is in Victoria Harbour. It can be reached from Granny White Sideroad. The marker is at the Saint-Louis Mission National Historic Site, approx. 400 metres from the entrance to it on Granny White Sideroad. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4556 Granny White Sideroad, Tay ON L0K 2A0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Arrival of the Jesuits in New France (here, next to this marker); Gateway to Huronia (approx.

Detail from The Description of the County of the Hurons (ca 1639-1651) image. Click for full size.

3. Detail from The Description of the County of the Hurons (ca 1639-1651)

Showing the location of St. Lous Mission and other locations in Huronia Source: Library of Congress (public domain)

4.9 kilometers away); Saint-Marie Among the Hurons / Saint-Marie-au-pays-des-Hurons (approx. 5 kilometers away); St. Ignace II (approx. 5.1 kilometers away); The Founding of Midland (approx. 8.5 kilometers away); Franz Johnston (approx. 8.9 kilometers away); Port Severn Swing Bridge, Lock 45 (approx. 9.6 kilometers away); Water Control Dams/Port Severn – The Secondary Lock (approx. 9.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tay.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 23, 2026, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.