The Martyrs' Shrine that you see on the hill today in Midland, Ontario replaced a much smaller Shrine by the same name in Waubaushene, about 12km from the present site.

In 1907, Archbishop Denis O'Connor of Toronto blessed this small chapel near the reported site of martyrdom of the Jesuit Fathers, Jean de Brébeuf and Gabriel Lalemant. Throughout its eighteen year lifespan, thousands of devout pilgrims visited this humble shrine and stayed at the 40-room hostel nearby.

When the new site was constructed in Midland in 1925, next to the ruins of the mission site of Sainte-Marie I, the Waubaushene shrine was disassembled. Materials from the original site were integrated into the new Shrine, including a set of pews located to the left of the Sanctuary inside the Church of St. Joseph (Shrine Church).