Lake Ontario

Ontario is one of the ten provinces and three territories that make up Canada. The Hurons or Wyandot or Wendat, as they called themselves, named Lake Ontario first. Later the province took its name from the lake. In the Wendat tongue, Ontario means ‘large lake,’ but other Iroquoian languages like Mohawk have possible root words also, like onitariio ‘beautiful lake’ and kanadario ‘shining water.’ The name was first applied to the lake in 1641. Later European settlers gave the name to the land along the lakeshore and then to an ever extending area. “Old Ontario” was a term sometimes loosely applied to the southern portion of the province.

Lake Erie

Lake Erie takes its label from a tribe of Amerindians who once lived on the south shore of the lake. Their totem animal was the bobcat. They wore a bobcat tail as a ceremonial head-dress. Erie means ‘long-tailed’ in their Iroquoian language. Now, I don't want to be catty, but in fact the bobcat has rather a short tail compared to its fellow felines.

On the Niagara Peninsula and Niagara Escarpment of the north shore of Lake Erie in what became Canada dwelt roving bands of the so-called Neutral people including the Erie People. Early French explorers dubbed Lake Erie Lac du Chat ‘Cat Lake.’

This is page 1 of 2. Click on 'next page' for the origins of the names of Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior.

© 2005

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