The Labatte House at Thunder Beach, near the Métis settlement at Penetanguishene, stands as an enduring testament to Métis resiliency in the Upper Great Lakes. That legacy all began on a fateful Christmas Eve in 1834.
Like many Métis families from Drummond Island, the Labattes were relocated to Penetanguishene after the War of 1812. Many, including Louis George Labatte, were promised land grants in the region as recognition for their service during the war.
After settling briefly near friends and family in the Penetanguishene area, the Labatte family picked up once again in 1834. With winter descending and the rough waters of Georgian Bay beginning to freeze over, the Labatte family boarded a small bateau, towed by the steamer Penetanguishene, to begin their journey.
However, as Antoine Labatte later recounted, a heavy storm soon arose, beginning an arduous and fateful saga:
“Our bateau smashed the back windows of the cabin of the little steamer, and one of the lines broke by which we were being towed. We were driven on Christian Island.”
Refusing to continue with the steamer, the Labatte family unloaded their possessions from the bateau and camped on the island for the next week before a local fisherman arrived to sail them home. However, that leg of the Labatte’s journey was soon interrupted, too:
“We started, but the ice was so thick it took three men with sticks in the front of the bateau to break it. We got as far as Thunder Bay (Tiny)… We built a place to winter in, then built a log house, and lived on the bay ever since. The old house is still standing.”
According to Antoine’s sister Katrine (Catherine) Labatte, that fateful landing at Thunder Beach occurred “on a cold Christmas eve.”