FOCUS - NOVEMBER 2018 57 and four feet above the surface of the ground. Upon digging into the top of it a row of stones was found about level with the ground, and upon one of those being re- moved, a stick could be quite easily run into the ground, three or four feet.” It was speculated at the time that an Indian battle had been fought here and that the bones found were the remains of the slain. The site was never found again. lake scugog monster The legend of the Lake Scugog sea-monster may have been conceived from the consumption of too much home-brewed whisky, but it was given prominent coverage during the sum- mer of 1881. Three Port Perry men, Daniel Ireland, Wm. Harper and P. Brown were out shooting ducks at Beaver Meadow Creek, along the shores of Lake Scugog one afternoon in May 1881, when they suddenly heard a loud splashing of the water. Curiosity overcame them and they headed off to find what was making all the noise. Within a few minutes, to their horror, they were confronted by a sea-monster of gigantic dimen- sions. They estimated the strange creature to be about 20’ long with a large head and eyes as big a saucers. It had legs as large around as a man’s thigh about two feet long, and the body was described as being as big around as a flower barrel. The men estimated the strange creature would have weighed over 500 lbs. Mr. Ireland is reported to have aimed his gun at the beast and fired four shots, but the shells had no effect and the mon- ster submerged in the water and disappeared. There were many skeptics and the men were questioned as to how the monster made its way into Lake Scugog. The edi- tor of the local newspaper, as well as many of residents who heard the story felt that the trio had tipped the “bottle” a little too often while out in the Scugog swamps. Mr. Ireland, determined to keep his reputation returned to hunt for the beast, but no trace of the sea-monster could be found and it was never seen again. MYSTERIOUS BURIAL SITE And finally – long before the first white settlers arrived in the Lake Scugog basin, this section of southern Ontario was the home of roaming Iroquois and Mississauga tribes. As inhabitants of the area for more than 100 years before the early pioneers arrived, it isn’t surprising that at least one old map shows a piece of land in Prince Albert as an “Indian Burial Ground.” For many years, a small rectangular piece of property, located on Old Simcoe Rd., immediately north of the general store, sat empty and neglected. The plot of land was shown on early maps to be an “Indian Burial Ground” or simply “Graveyard,” although there are no records or markers show- ing anyone being buried on this site. In February 2007 an archeological company was hired to conduct a geophysical survey of the property and to find evidence of burials. With a ground penetrating radar instru- ment, the frozen ground was scanned without disturbing the surface. The results of the survey are clear and fascinating. The sur- vey confirmed there are at least 26 burials on the property! Despite the fact early maps refer to an “Indian Burial Ground” it is not clear who is buried on the site. The Iroquois roamed through this part of the country until the late seven- teenth century when they were driven out by the French. The Mississaugas then occupied the Lake Scugog Basin beginning in the early eighteenth century. In addition, there are several pioneer family members who passed away before the first burials were recorded at the Pine Grove Cemetery to the northeast. Their burial sites are not recorded. Since the survey, nothing has been done to recognize the burial ground, despite earlier efforts by the Scugog Historical Society to have the property fenced and a monument erected to provide a history of the burial site. By J. Peter Hvidsten Special for Focu on Scugog Sketch depicting the Scugog Sea Monster. This ground penatrating radar image, taken at the Prince Al- bert burial site in 2007, shows position of a number of graves.