Sainte-Marie among the Hurons
Sainte Marie Among The Hurons (Huronia Historical Parks, Government Of Ontario) · Midland, Ontario
Sainte-Marie among the Hurons is a reconstructed Jesuit mission beside the Wye River, just east of Midland on Georgian Bay in Ontario. French Jesuits built the original in 1639 to work among the Wendat (Huron) people, whose farming villages filled this country, and for ten years it was the centre of a mission that also sheltered Wendat converts. In 1649, after Haudenosaunee attacks and years of epidemic disease, the Jesuits burned it themselves and left. Today it is a national historic site with a palisade, chapel, longhouse, cookhouse and workshops, staffed in season by costumed interpreters. It is built for people who want to understand the early meeting of French and Wendat worlds, and it handles the hard parts honestly: disease, loss and conflict. Allow two to three hours, or half a day with the Martyrs' Shrine across the road. It is seasonal, so confirm dates and prices before you go.
16164 Highway 12 East, Midland, Ontario, L4R 4K8, Canada
The site is open to the public in a summer season, roughly late spring to early autumn, with daytime hours that commonly run from mid-morning to late afternoon. Outside that season the gates are normally closed to walk-in visitors, though school and group programs may run by booking. Exact opening and closing dates, the last-entry time and any extended hours for special events change by year, so confirm with the operator or a Midland tourism office before you drive. Costumed interpreters work only in season and may stop for lunch breaks or poor weather. The reconstruction is outdoors for the most part, so a heavy rain day can change what is demonstrated; ask at the entrance what is running.
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