Donaldson site
| Location | along Saugeen River |
|---|---|
| Region | Bruce County |
| Coordinates | 44°30′21″N 81°20′3″W / 44.50583°N 81.33417°W |
| Type | Seasonal harvesting station |
| Area | 1.2 hectares (3.0 acres) |
| History | |
| Periods | Woodland |
| Cultures | Saugeen |
| Site notes | |
| Archaeologists |
|
| Official name | Donaldson site |
| Type | Cultural |
| Designated | 12 June 1982 |
The Donaldson site is an archaeological site in Ontario that was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1982. The 3-acre (12,000 m2) site is the largest within the Saugeen complex, and is representative of typical habitation and mortuary practices of the Woodland period before the European discovery of the Americas, from about 200 BCE until 700 CE.
It suggests that Bruce County and Huron County have been inhabited by Algonquian speakers for millennia. The Donaldson site was used primarily as a "seasonal harvesting station", mainly for fishing. It also may represent the earliest instance of broader social groups more characteristic of the Late Woodland period.