The Crawford Lake site features a fifteenth century Iroquoian Village that was reconstructed on its original site to create a unique opportunity to expand our understanding and appreciation of Ontario's original people.
The Eastern Woodlands, in the area that is presently New York State, gave rise to a confederation of six nations allied together in peace. Known as the Iroquois Confederacy, they call themselves Haudenosaunee, the People of the Longhouse. Check out this great site at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History!
An Indian Conference at Fort Johnson
June 24 – July 4, 1755
At this council they removed the embers from Albany and rekindled the fire at Fort Johnson.
On June 21, Johnson gave the strictest orders “As the Indians are now down at my house, all people who may pass this way either by land or water near my house, in sight or hearing of the Indians will not behave or speak to them (many understood English) in any manner likely to give offense.”
On June 24, Johnson wrote, “I have above twelve hundred Indians about me, of nine different nations.” He hoped to at least keep them neutral and for some of them to join him in the attack on Fort St. Frederick (Crown Point.) At this time his army was assembling at Albany.
A number of the Indians had come on horseback and Johnson said that at this critical time they couldn’t be controlled. “They have spoiled my meadows and destroyed every green thing about my house.” He was at great difficulty maintaining such large numbers. He danced the war dance with them and then threw down the war belt. He said he had been employed from early morning to 12 o’clock at night in council with them each day.
When Johnson marched to Lake George in August, he only had 40 Indians with him. On August 30th, 200 hundred more Indians joined him under the command of the Indian officers. When they marched through the woods to Lake George some settlers who saw them said they had never seen a finer or more war-like body of men. Most of the Indians were Mohawks
The Indian officers were Benjamin Stoddert, Thomas Butler, Jonathan Stevens, William McGinnis and Mathew Ferral (Johnson’s brother-in –law.)
A few days later (September 8) about 38 of the Mohawks and all of the Indian officers, except Butler, were killed at the Bloody Morning Scout.




william johnson
Royal Ontario Museum
Homes of the Past
The Native American cultures in the Northeast relied heavily on the use of timber. The use of this timber is evident in their living shelters. These shelters of the Northeast Native Americans are called Long Houses.
The Noteworthy Indian Museum
Amsterdam, NY
revised: Monday, January 5, 2004