Author Archives: Swany

Saddle Lakes

British Columbia. Lakes: Columbia River drainage
W side of Canoe Reach (Kinbasket Lake), across from Ptarmigan Bay
52.5722 N 118.8861 W — Map 83D/10 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1989
Official in BCCanada

Adopted in 1989 on as submitted by BC Recreational Fisheries Branch; descriptive of surrounding topography.

References:

Blackmore Creek

British Columbia. Creek: Columbia River drainage
Flows NE into Canoe Reach, Kinbasket Lake
52.6333 N 118.9833 W — Map 83D/10 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1954
Official in BCCanada

After Robert Blackmore, one of the party with R.H. Lee in 1895, on an exploratory trip to the Big Bend country. See 1895 field book 176A/1895, ph 3, Lillooet Land District.
The name “Blackmore” was first suggested for a nearby creek, already well known as Bulldog Creek (file C.1.53). “Blackmore” re-positioned to this feature, to retain the name in the immediate vicinity

References:

Also see:

Cranberry Creek

British Columbia. Creek: Fraser River drainage
Flows N into Swift Creek at Valemount
52.8367 N 119.2908 W — Map 083D14 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1991
Official in BCCanada

Name required in 1991 for water licence; in the absence of any known local name, “Cranberry” chosen because historically, this creek used to flow out of Cranberry Lake.

References:

Snake Indian River

Alberta. River: Athabasca River drainage
Tributary of the Athabasca entirely within Jasper National Park
53.1894 N 117.9839 W — Map 083F04 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1956
Topo map from Canadian Geographical Names
The Snake Indian River was named after a small tribe of indigenous people, referred to as the Snake Indians, who resided around Jasper House in the 19th century.

Jasper House is beautifully situated on an open plain, about six miles in extent, within the first range of the mountains. As the valley makes a bend above and below, it appears to be completely encircled by mountains, which rise from 4,000 to 5,000 feet, with bold craggy outlines; the little group of buildings which form the ” fort ” have been constructed, in keeping with their picturesque situation, after the Swiss style, with overhanging roofs and trellised porticos. The dwelling-house and two stores form three sides of a square, and these, with a little detached hut, form the whole of this remote establishment. The general direction of the valley of the Athabasca through the mountains seems to be a from south to north, with a very little easting. Four miles below the fort the Athabasca receives a large tributary from the W.N.W., which is known either as the Assineboine or the Snake Indian River. Opposite to the fort, from the opposite direction, comes Rocky River, and these two streams, with the Athabasca, define four great mountain masses.

There was once a little tribe of Indians known as the Snakes, that lived in the country to the north of Jasper House, but which, during the time of the North West Fur Company, was treacherously exterminated by the Assineboines. They were invited to a peace feast by the latter Indians, when they were to settle all their disputes, and neither party was to bring any weapons. It was held about three miles below the present site of Jasper House, but the Assineboines being all secretly armed, fell on the poor Snakes in the midst of the revelry, and killed them all. Such was the story I heard from the hunters here.

James Hector [1834–1907] 1859, in Palliser papers
References:

  • Hector, James [1834–1907]; Palliser, John [1817–1887]; Spry, Irene Mary Biss [1907–1998], editor. The papers of the Palliser Expedition 1857-1860. Toronto: Publications of the Champlain Society XLIV, 1968. Internet Archive [accessed 4 March 2025]
  • Karamitsanis, Aphrodite [1961–]. Place names of Alberta. Volume 1: Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 1991. Internet Archive [accessed 25 February 2025]
  • Wikipedia. Snake Indian River
  • Wikipedia. Snake Indians