KAWARTHA LAKES-For many years the Atherley Narrows have been a very busy spot. Each year, countless motorists on Highway 12 pass over a concrete bridge, as boaters navigate the channel between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching on the Trent-Severn Waterway. Though so many people pass by, how many realize the ancient history of the site? For millennia, local inhabitants fished at Mnjikaning. For all of the changes that this region has seen over the years, Mnjikaning is one landmark that has endured.
In centuries past, weirs were a common fishing technique and the narrows between Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching were well-suited. Couchiching is a shallower and warmer lake, while Simcoe is larger, deeper and cooler. As fish migrated through the narrows separating the lakes, it presented an opportunity for humans to harvest them. Here, the clay bottom of the channel is soft. It takes little exertion to push a stake into the riverbed—but, it is then quite difficult to pull it back out. The section of the ancient riverbed that remains is about 6 or 7 feet deep (The site was significantly modified in 1856-7, when a deep, straight channel was dredged to connect the two lakes.) Compared to other narrows, it would be a relatively easy place to construct a weir, that would then be durable.
Mnjikaning is at least 5000 years old—one stake was carbon dated to 3300 B.C., which would make it older than the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Indus Valley Civilization. There is no reason to assume that it could not be older still. An archaeological examination concluded that the weirs were likely directing the fish towards the north side of the channel, where they would be harvested. Near that side, there were stones, which could have provided a solid footing for fishing. The stakes used varied in size from 0.5 to 3 inches in diameter, and included several different kinds of wood. The weir likely consisted of vertical stakes, with smaller branches woven horizontally around them to form a wattling fence, concentrating fish into a very narrow channel for harvest, with nets and spears. There would have been a particularly large number swimming through during spawning runs—many local fish species spawned in spring, though herring migrated in autumn.
Mnjikaning was still in use when local Wendats (Hurons) guided Samuel de Champlain through the narrows in 1615. He described how the communities there “make great catches of fish which they preserve for the winter.” For years, the French would call Lake Simcoe, ‘Lac aux Claies,’ which is a reference to these weirs. After the Wendat were dispersed during mid-seventeenth century wars, Anishinaabeg (Michi Saagiig, Mississaugas, Ojibwas, Chippewas) resided in south central Ontario.
Mnjikaning is a sacred site. Not only is it ancient, it is also perhaps Canada’s best preserved fish weir and is among the oldest remaining structures in the country. In recent years, there has been a lot of development in the vicinity—as can be seen by comparing a mid-twentieth century H.R. Oakman aerial photograph, with one from 2024. The four-lane bridge was constructed in the 1990s, as a controversial decision was made to remove part of the fish fence for preservation. This inspired the Mnjikaning Fish Fence Circle to help preserve and interpret the site. Today, as both shores are lined with homes and marinas, it is easy for passers-by not to realize just how unique the narrows are.
This story is part of our partnership with Maryboro Lodge, The Fenelon Falls Museum and was written by Glenn Walker.
If you want to make a donation to the museum, you can e-transfer to: [email protected] or mail a cheque to :
Maryboro Lodge Museum
Box 179
50 Oak Street
Fenelon Falls, ON
K0M 1N0
