DIGGING UP ANCIENT HISTORY
Artifacts discovered on riverfront
Thousands of items, some dating back more than 10,000 years, were found by archaeologists during construction of the Sandwich roundabout.
Small arrowheads, “projectiles,” shards of brass, pottery, buttons and bone fragments were displayed Thursday at Chimczuk Museum by the group in charge of uncovering artifacts primarily found in a small area of Riverside Drive West and Sandwich Street where construction was undertaken last summer. Completion of the roundabout was delayed for three months once such a trove began to be discovered after work was launched last June. “I have been on some neat digs, but this was pretty darn good,” said archeologist Jim Molnar of Fisher Archaeological Consulting, retained by the city to collect and track historical items that were uncovered during last year’s construction.
“To find something that somebody left behind over 10,000 years ago is mind-boggling. To know people were living here at that time is also really impressive. You find items that have been laying in the ground, and now found, allows their stories to be told.
“We will look at these pieces and string together as much as we can.” Depending on the era, items found were either part of established settlements located near the shoreline of the Detroit River or by transient groups who travelled through the area, he said. Molnar said the river at that location had an entirely different look centuries ago that was much narrower (prior to shipping channels being created) and flowed entirely differently from today. Trade of items was prominent for survival as some artifacts discovered during the dig are known to have originated from as far away as Ohio.
Molnar showed a “projectile point,” what he believes is “the oldest artifact ever found in Windsor,” that dates back to 7,500 BC. “When you know Indigenous people were here for thousands of years, you start to imagine what life was like for them here,” he said. “These are all pieces of the puzzle that tells stories of their past.” Custodian of the items collected will be the city and Walpole Island First Nations.
Heritage co-ordinator for Walpole Island and University of Windsor board member Dean Jacobs said the excavation helps bring alive the “occupation of our ancestors from centuries ago right up to current day” on the shores of the river and current Sandwich community.
“It is such a small site and so rich,” he said.
Jacobs was not surprised at the volume of items uncovered. “This was always such an important site for our ancestors traditionally, as a crossing and history of travel on the waterways,” he said. “This was a stopping point for them on Mother Earth. This helps connect the dots of our history and how we are still here.
“This warms my heart because it validates what we have always been saying how this is our home. It shows we have been here thousands of years and still here today. How many people in the world can say they have been in one spot for 10,000 years? That’s pretty remarkable.”
Lifelong Sandwich resident and community historian Terry Kennedy has also been delighted at how efforts were made to slow the roundabout project to properly uncover the historical artifacts. “I know this is only a fraction of what’s there on the site near (former Villa Maria residence and Ambassador Bridge). It would be nice to have an army to find the village that’s always been there. “(The artifacts) make the history of Sandwich come alive. It validates a lot of my own research and says, ‘Yeah, there has been more than 10,000 years of colonization’ on the Detroit River. It’s wonderful to see — it’s exciting.”
All of these nominations are well deserved by Windsor Star journalists who are always striving for the best.
ELLEN VAN WAGENINGEN, Windsor Star editor-in-chief