Ten thousand years ago, there was no sand, no bay, no river, no trees, no people. The entire land was covered with sheets of crushing grinding ice nearly 5000 feet thick. This period of time was known as the Wisconsin Glaciation, the last of the great glacial periods. Eventually these giant sheets of ice began to slowly retreat, in the process carving out huge sections of land, digging out lakes and bays while dumping huge deposits of rock, sand and gravel. After many years the earth's crust slowly rebounded from the weight of the glaciers and the area was cut off from the sea. Over time the seawater was replaced by fresh water from local rivers and streams. The melting ice quickly became a giant glacial sea - the Champlain Sea.
     A Modern Glacier

      With the continuing retreat of the glaciers to the north and the draining of the Champlain Sea, the landscape slowly came to resemble the hills, streams and river systems that we know today.

     As the rivers began to flow, rocky outcrops and boulders exposed by the ice age were quickly and efficiently eroded away. The resulting sands quickly began to collect all along the river forming sand dunes and small islands. Originally the dunes were forested with Jack Pine, but the margins along the shorelines were open and supported active dune vegetation.

      It is believed that the first Aboriginals migrated across the Bering Strait during a period of time when the two continents were connected with a land and ice bridge. These people slowly migrated to the south and east settling across what was to become the America's - and the Ottawa Valley. The big game hunters of earliest times were eventually replaced by or changed into peoples whose subsistence base had shifted to a dependence on deer, elk, bear and beaver. It was supplemented by small game, fish and wild plants.

     During these times, elaborate burial customs were developed. These are characterized by the sprinkling of red ochre in the graves of the deceased, and the inclusion of grave goods or tools manufactured of stone, bone and native copper. Hundreds of years later, many of these artifacts would resurface in the Sandhills.

      The Woodland period is differentiated from the preceding Archaic by the introduction of pottery. This division is more of an archaeological convenience than a reflection of a real change in the life ways of aboriginal bands during the early stage of the Woodland period. The earliest cultural manifestation at this time is called the Meadowood culture. It is typified by more elaborate artifact forms and grave offerings.

     The Meadowood culture is succeeded by the Point Peninsula culture in this region. Point Peninsula peoples continued the trend towards more elaborate grave offerings, as well as increasingly elaborate pottery decorations which combined Hopewell cultural influences from the southern heartland of the Ohio and Illinois Valleys of the central U.S. with pottery designs that were uniquely their own. This period also saw the introduction of pipe smoking as an integral part of ritual and everyday practice.

      The final period in this prehistory is known as the Terminal Woodland. It ends with the first historical accounts of the region, which commence about the beginning of the 17th century with the arrival of fur traders and explorers such as Samuel de Champlain. At this time, a number of Algonquin Bands occupied the area. Although these nomadic bands essentially continued the hunter-gatherer subsistence patterns of preceding periods, their culture shows influences from the semi-sedentary horticulturists peoples to the south and west. These influences included pottery styles and the introduction of corn, beans and squash to supplement the diet.

     The depredations of European disease and the growing conflict caused by the competition for territories rich in fur bearing animals led to the abandonment of much of the area by aboriginal peoples. When European settlers began to arrive and clear the land for cultivation in the early 19th century, few Native people remained in the immediate vicinity. Almost immediately, the settlers began to uncover evidence of the past in the form of burials and artifacts.

      Today, many years later, evidence of the glaciers, the sand dunes, and the aboriginals can all still be found.

      The most prominent sand dunes that developed in this area eventually became known as Mohr Island, Big Sand Point and Little Sand Point. Big Sand Point, located at the northwest corner of Sand Bay, is now affectionately called "the Point". Sand Bay eventually became known as Constance Bay.

      While it remains a distinguishable landmark, it is far less impressive than the towering sand bluff that used to exist on this spot during the days when the Ottawa River was the major fur trading route into North America. Historical notes indicate that by the early 1900's much of the bluff had been carted away for building purposes and the dune vegetation which populated our shoreline has long since disappeared as a result of human habitation. Of course, it is well known that all of Constance Bay is really just one large sand dune.

     Evidence of the glacial sea still exists to this very day and can be found in the well water here in the Sandhills and surrounding area.

     The ground water here varies from fresh calcium-bicarbonate to brackish sodium-chloride water. Recent studies of water samples analyzed indicate that Champlain sea water is the source of the salinity and the isotopic data indicates that the salty water is a mixture of fossil glacial lake water and fossil seawater. So... we're all drinking fossil glacial seawater. YUK!

      While the evidence of glaciers and the development of sand dunes is all very interesting, the life of the aboriginals has drawn most of the attention over the years. In fact, by the mid 1800's, antiquarians like Dr. Edward Van Cortlandt were already collecting and documenting their finds. The Ottawa Literary and Scientific Society was formed around this time and focused at least part of it's efforts on gaining an understanding of the region's prehistoric past. By the early 1900's, W.J. Wintemberg of the Geological Survey of Canada, later the Archaeological Survey of Canada, had taken up the task. His efforts were continued in the forties by Douglas Leechman and in the fifties, sixties and seventies by J.F. Pendergast and C.C. Kennedy.

     More recently, research in this area had been undertaken by Dr. Gordon Watson with his study of a cluster of prehistoric sites. One of his favourite spots was located on Big Sand Point. Rumour has it that this location was the site of many Indian battles and it has also been suggested that it may have been the location of a major Indian burial ground along with Aylmer Island. Indeed, the site offered up an impressive selection of arrow heads, pottery and bones. For thirty years Watson collected and documented his findings from this area and upon his retirement donated 20,000 artifacts to the Museum of Civilization where many are on display.

      In 1950, Bruce Ritchie, a fifteen year old boy vacationing at Constance Bay with his family, spent the summer playfully exploring the shores and bush land in the area. His curiosity was rewarded when he discovered an old Indian campsite or at least a spot that seemed to have a number of Indian relics, such as pieces of pottery, skin scrapers and shells that had been used by the Indians. He took these for identification to the National Museum. Members of the department of archaeology showed interest and eventually visited the site. The following spring a "dig" was organized and young Ritchie was allowed to participate.

      This activity was filmed and later a TV program was produced detailing their findings. This event changed young Richie's life and he went on to explore many great lands including an historic expedition into Alaska.