“pioneer resident of Penetanguishene”

Elizabeth Longlade (nee Dusome) of the historic Georgian Bay Métis Community was one of Penetanguishene’s many Métis matriarchs and “pioneer resident[s]” who held rich memories of the region prior to its development by Euro-Canadian settlers. 

Mrs. Longlade was “Born at Highland Point, across the bay from town,” in 1847—a generation after much of her Métis community had been relocated to Penetanguishene from Drummond Island after the War of 1812. 

In a May 8, 1942 Toronto Star article, Mrs. Longlade, then 95 years old, recalled that even during her childhood in the 1840’s, Penetanguishene remained a relatively undeveloped “cedar swamp with a scattering of Indian wigwams and fishing shanties” with few settlers, similar to fellow Georgian Bay Métis Community member Lewis Solomon’s recollection of the region from a generation earlier. 

Although Euro-Canadian settlers and government regulations gradually transformed the Penetanguishene area, the Georgian Bay Métis Community steadfastly preserved its unique identity, cultural practices, and shared history—memories and connections that continue to unite them to this day.

See Our Sources

• Daughter of Red River Native, Toronto Star, May 8, 1942

• The Migration of Voyageurs from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in 1828

• Upper Great Lakes Submission to the MNC Expert Panel

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