New England Antiquities Research Association

 

Unexplained Underwater Stone Structure in Ontario

Terry J. Deveau

 

David Bishop, Program Coordinator for the Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve, has reported a very unusual and unexplained underwater stone structure in MacDonald Lake, just southwest of Algonquin Park, Ontario. The lake is part of Haliburton Forest.

http://www.haliburtonforest.com/).

 

Haliburton Forest operates a submarine tour service in MacDonald Lake, and the structure was originally found by David in June 2004 while piloting the submarine. The web page for the submarine tour shows a photo of the structure, taken from the submarine, as the second photo on the page. (The structure is not actually discussed on the web page because it is still under investigation.)

http://www.haliburtonforest.com/submarine.html

 

David passes on the following additional information about the structure:

  • Has small flat chinking stones inserted between some of the main structural stones — constituting strong evidence of human construction
  • base rock sits 40 feet under water
  • historic water levels have not known to have changed more than 4 feet since glaciers retreated
  • the lake at its deepest is 125 feet deep
  • the top stone points southwest towards the deepest parts of the lake
  • the lake was part of a glacial river
  • there has been a river run Lake Trout species in the lake since the glaciers retreated.  (proven genetically) Dr. Casselman, of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has been studying the fish and this lake for the past 20 years. There has always been enough water in the lake to support the trout.
  • a terminal moraine blocked off the river and land locked the trout.

 

One theory that is being currently considered is that a major drought may have taken place in Ontario between 7900 - 9000 BP. This may have lowered the lake sufficiently such that the site of the structure was then near the shoreline of the lake at that time, allowing Native peoples to occupy or use the site.  Mike Lewis from the National Research Council of Canada has been investigating.

 

The underwater archaeologist, Kris Nahrgang, has done a diving inspection of the site. He made a drawing and took a few pictures of the shims. (Not great due to sediment in the water).

 

David has spent a fair bit of time researching on the net to find something similar. “There are a number of perched stones that look similar, but bigger;” he says, “ however they are all sitting on a large granite sheet.  This one is not. It is sitting on a base rock half again as big as the top stone.  The find has sat in limbo for the last 6 months but we wish to find out more because I do believe it is significant.”

Anyone wishing to contact David Bishop directly on this matter can reach him via Email at: dbishop.haliburtonforest@sympatico.ca

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