St. Francis
The village of St. Francis, also known as Odanak, is located on the St. Francis River, in the St. Lawrence River Valley of Quebec, Canada. In the 1660s, the Wôbanaki village at this site was called Arosikantegouk or Anosagunticook. During the late 17th century, a number of Sokoki, followed by Pocumtuck, Pennacook, Woronoco and other New England Natives, moved to Odanak. It became a Catholic village in 1701, when Jesuit missionaries moved their mission church, Saint François de Sales, from its location on the Chaudière River to Odanak.
By 1704, Odanak was a sizeable Wôbanaki village, with about 400 residents representing Native communities from across northern and central New England, who still maintained ties with their homelands. Due to the large proportion of Missisquoi and Sokoki people, the Wôbanaki dialect known as Western Abenaki became the dominant language of the village.
See Also: Maps > The Northeast