On-On-Da-Ga Site of Indian Village and stockade enclosing about ten acres, with forty additional acres adjoining under cultivation located just east of this place burned by the Indians at the time of Frontenac’s Invasion Aug. 3, 1696
Site of Father Lamberville’s mission, burned by the Indians in 1709, Indians Removal from here to Lower Onondaga completed in 1720
| Problematic Issues | – The generic “Indian” was used as late as 1933 rather than identify the Onondaga. – The vast area of cultivation and agricultural activity is contrasted in the text against burning and destruction. – Some Onondaga question the statement that they would burn their own village. – Frontenac invaded in retaliation for “Indian” raids. – Mission built to convert natives to the Christian religion. (See 2 below) – The Onondaga burning the Mission implies savagery or militarism. |
| Location | Located on NYS 91 about 1 mile S of Jamesville. East side, 1.1 mile S of NYS 173 |
| Significance | This marker identifies the western edge of a large area of Onondaga settlements. Other markers referencing this area are Deep Springs and Indian Hill. |
| Indigenous Names for the Site | None noted |
| Circumstances of Marker Placement | Erected by the Syracuse Chapter S.A.R. (Sons of the American Revolution) and State of New York in 1933. Bronze tablet on boulder. “The State Historic Marker Program began in 1926 as a program of the State Education Department to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the American Revolution. Over 2,800 of the small, cast iron site markers … were erected statewide during the duration of this program (1926-1939).” |
| Sources | 1. New York State Museum, “Outreach: State Historic Markers”, [www.nysm.nysed.gov/services/marker/ srvmarker.html, downloaded January 23, 2011] 2. http://www.doctrineofdiscovery.org |