Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons (1639-1649)
Founded by the Jesuits in 1639, Sainte-Marie was designed as a central residence for the mission to the Wendat (Huron) peoples. For a decade Sainte-Marie was a major French community, the earliest in what is now Ontario. Prolonged daily contact between native people and Europeans profoundly affected both groups. By the winter of 1648-1649, Huronia was so ravaged by disease and conflict that the Jesuits abandoned and burned Sainte-Marie and with some Wendat followers moved to Christian Island. The following year the Jesuits and Hurons withdrew to Québec.
Plaque via Alan L. Brown's site Ontario Plaques. Full page here.