lOO TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. I. 



in the present day. Rochefoucauld says of Ihat village. 1795 : — " The 

 different buildings, constructed three years ago, consist of a tolerable 

 inn, two or three good storehouses, some small houses, a block-house of 

 stone, covered with iron, and barracks. Mr. Hamilton, an opulent 

 merchant, who is concerned in the whole inland trade in this part of 

 America, possesses in Qneenston a very fine house built in the English 

 style. He has also a farm, a distillery, and a tanyard. The portage was 

 formerly on the other side of the river ; but as this, by virtue of the treaty 

 of 1794, falls under American dominion, government has removed it 

 hither." 



From the mouth of the Niagara River westward to the head of the lake 

 are a number of creeks which discharge themselves into the 1. ke, or rather 

 into ponds, which are separated from the lake by bars of sand. These 

 creeks are known by numbers, according to their distance from Niagara. 

 Thus we have 1 mile creek and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, and so on. At the 

 mouth of each creek is a pond, separated from the lake by a sandbar. 

 The outlet to the lake is not always open. At some of the ponds, when 

 the water is low, the bar completely separates the pond from the lake. 

 In the spring, or v^hen there is a freshet, the water washes away the sand 

 and makes a channel to the lake. These ponds vary in size : at One Mile 

 Creek it is four or five acres in extent ; at Two Mile Creek it is some six- 

 teen acres. 



Original routes. The aborigines were wont to journey across the 

 Niagara peninsula in passing from one region to another. Their habit was 

 to follow as much as possible the shores of a lake or a stream to or from 

 its source. The traces of old Indian trails are frequently met with in ail 

 parts of Canada. T^^ese trails were also followed by the first explorers of 

 the primeval wood ; and the fii'st settlers likewise used them in their travels. 

 Not unfrequently these trails became permanent roads. A stream would 

 sometimes be followed by the birch canoe, but usually along the course of 

 the stream would be a trail, not exactly following the shore ; but when 

 its course was devious, the trail would take a direct line ; but always 

 ending at or near the source of the stream. Then there would be a port- 

 age to the head waters of another stream running in another direction. 

 There were also portages to get around unnavigable rapids or falls. 



The Niagara River was a great thoroughfare for the French and Eng- 

 lish to pass from one lake to the other, the portage extending from 

 below the heights to a point above the falls. But there is no evidence 

 that the Indians very often passed this way. Their route most frequently 

 was eastward and westward ; and the several creeks on the south shore 

 of Lake Ontario, west of Niagara River, and now known by Tiumbers, 



