Jesuit Mission to the Hurons

In 1728, a mission to the Huron Indians was established near Fort Pontchartrain (Detroit) by Father Armand de la Richardie, S.J. The Mission was moved to Bois Blanc Island and the adjacent mainland in 1742. In 1747 it was destroyed by disaffected Hurons and a party of Iroquois, and the next year re-established in this vicinity. The Huron Mission became the Parish of the Assumption in 1767 and was entrusted with the spiritual care of the French settlers on this side of the river as well as the Indians of the region. The resident missionary, Father Pierre Potier, S.J., became the first pastor of this parish, the earliest in what is now Ontario.