Archaeological site.

Details of Site Location: North of Sheppard at McCowan Road.

Boundary History: The dimensions of this site are unknown.

Current Use of Property: Crossed by two roads and the SPR line.

Historical Description: Along the east side of McCowan Road flows a tributary of Highland Creek. From today’s Middlefield Avenue the creek bends then flows south. At Nugget Avenue it bends southeast and continues crossing Sheppard Avenue. The aboriginal site has been greatly disturbed by a roadcut that partially, then fully destroyed a portion of the site. Along Sheppard, McCowan, and Nugget, there is commercial and residential development, and the CPR line forks into two tracks just west of McCan, both of which cross the site. During the road work, the site was identified but unexplored, and nothing is known of its period or culture. However, it is not far from the Elliott Site, which was Woodland period and Iroquoian culture. So little is known about the aboriginal inhabitants of the Toronto region because sites are destroyed without hesitation.

Planning Implications: Since the site has not been explored archaeologically, it should be flagged for further investigation and protection. Because it is associated with a creek, there is a potential for finds along the route of the watercourse. Its importance, therefore, cannot be determined until investigation is done.

Reference Sources: Victor A. Konrad, The Archaeological Resources of the Metropolitan Toronto Planning Area: Inventory and Prospect (Department of Geography, York University, Discussion Paper Series #10, 1973); Barbara Myrvold, The People of Scarborough – A History (1997); Maps Project.

Acknowledgements: Maps Project; Ontario Archaeological Society, Toronto Branch; Province of Ontario Archaeological Database.