Ratcliff Site, Wendat Ancestral Village

The Ratcliff Site is an early 16th-century Wendat village with remains of residential buildings, communal areas, and agricultural plots spread across land near water sources. The settlement displays the physical layout of a community that housed several hundred people and their connection to the surrounding land.

The village developed between 1500 and 1530 as part of a Wendat network held together by trade routes and regional connections. This period marked the rise of stable village settlements that allowed communities to maintain relationships across wide areas.

The site reveals how people organized daily life around growing corn and living in large family groups sharing communal spaces. The layout of where buildings stood shows how communities were structured and how residents moved through their village.

The site sits in a landscape where you can see how proximity to water was essential for daily activities and access to travel routes. Visitors should take time to understand the overall layout of the terrain and how different areas served different purposes for the community.

Excavations uncovered evidence that different Indigenous nations gathered here for diplomatic meetings, showing the site held regional importance. The way spaces were arranged suggests people traveled from distant areas to meet and conduct important discussions at this location.