New Dundee is the birthplace of William Wintemberg, an uneducated blacksmith’s son who would become the leading voice in Canadian archaeology. Born May 18, 1876, Wintemberg was pushed by his father to begin apprenticing as a tailor.

However, at 16 years old, tired of this job, he ran away to Toronto. Here he worked as a printer, then a coppersmith, and finally a helper at the Ontario Provincial Museum. Here his love for archaeology became apparent, and he was eventually appointed assistant to the chief archaeologist of the Royal Victoria Museum, Ottawa.

Wintemberg was most interested in indigenous archaeology and published seventy-five articles and pamphlets as well as his books, ‘Folklore of Waterloo County’ and ‘Distinguishing Characteristics of Algonkian Iroquoian Cultures.’ He was elected Fellow of the Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada in 1934.

Read more about William John Wintemberg | People of Small Towns