Page:Algonquian Indian names of places in Northern Canada.djvu/3

1914]

(Read 20th March, 1915)

Between the years 1883 and 1898 my work as a Geologist on the Staff of the Geological Survey of Canada made it necessary for me to travel through some of the more remote parts of northern and western Canada, where but few white men, or in some places no white men, had preceded me, and where the geographical features were either very imperfectly known or quite unknown. It was therefore at all times advantageous, and at almost all times absolutely necessary, for me to survey the routes over which I travelled, and to make intelligible maps of these routes, and of as much of the adjoining country as it was possible for me to observe, in order that I might correctly designate on these maps the positions of the various rocks and natural phenomena encountered. In this way these observations were correlated from day to day as the work of exploration proceeded, and a comprehensive view of the mineral resources and geological structure of the region explored was obtained. Such maps also made it possible for others, who might subsequently wish to follow my routes, or to travel on routes in the vicinity of mine, to identify my positions, and to use my observations in connection with their own in the further study of the regions. Finally, they served to inform geologists and mining engineers throughout the world of the exact positions and relationships of the various ores, rocks and geological formations discovered and identified.

In order that the natural features of the countries explored might be intelligently referred to in my Reports, and in those of others who might wish to allude to them later, it was necessary that names should be applied to them, whether such features were mountains, lakes, rivers, or islands.

If white men happened to be living in the districts visited, and if these men had local names for such natural features, these local names were retained whenever they did not conflict with well-known names elsewhere. But much of the country explored was without white inhabitants and the only names immediately available were those used by Indians who lived in the country. Indians were employed by me as