Sainte-Marie among the Hurons

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons is a reconstructed mission station and national historic site in Midland, Canada, dating back to the 1600s. Along the Wye River stand log buildings, workshops and a small chapel inside a wooden palisade, displaying replicas of both European and indigenous construction methods.

French Jesuits founded the settlement in 1639 as the first permanent European outpost in Ontario, expanding it to more than 60 residents within a few years. In spring 1649, the missionaries destroyed their own compound to keep it from advancing opponents.

The site still carries its French name, honoring the Wendat people who lived alongside European missionaries here nearly four centuries ago. Visitors can enter reconstructed chapels and living quarters where costumed interpreters show how daily routines unfolded between both groups.

The museum opens its doors from May through October and offers guided tours several times a day that move between the buildings. Sturdy footwear helps on the unpaved paths, and most structures are accessible at ground level.

Archaeologists uncovered the charred remains of wooden buildings in the 20th century, revealing the exact layout of the compound. These finds allowed for a detailed rebuild that even traced the position of individual posts.