Compiled for CDMC by Diana Fright

Brief details of origins of the names for some of the geographical features we encounter on our trips are given.  For more information go to ilmbwww.gov.bc.ca/bcnames or read "British Columbia Coast Names, 1592-1906, Their Origin & History" by Captain John T. Walbran; & "British Columbia Place names" by George & Helen Akrigg. Thanks must go to Ruth Masters for the loan of her personal copy of her splendid  work  "History of Forbidden Plateau, 1920-86". It contains a wealth of information on the settlement & development of the Comox Valley, the history of CDMC, the exploration of Forbidden Plateau, wonderful stories of prospectors, adventurers, hikers & skiers, as well as the origins of some place names.  It is well worth reading & may be seen at the Courtenay District Museum.  Ruth also made available a copy of "List of Place Names in Strathcona Park", compiled by the late Allan Brooks, for which we are most grateful.  The list which follows is by no means complete, and research will continue to discover the origins of names not included.   Also, Ruth is still busy naming places for local men who lost their lives in the World Wars, & for those men & women who have worked to protect the environment, so as new information is obtained we shall update the list.

Name	Feature	Origin & Remarks
Adrian	Mount	Named for W. Adrian B. Paul of the Comox Valley, farmer, naturalist & mountain    climber.  Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adopted in 1939.
Albert Edward	Mount	Named for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII.
Aldermen	Lakes	Named in honour of the aldermen of the City of Courtenay who, in the early days,        took an active interest in discovery & development on Forbidden Plateau (mainly as a source of water for the City).  Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adoptedin1939
Alexandra	Peak	Named for the wife of King Edward VII.
Alone	Mountain	Descriptive name since it stands alone.  Formerly known as Lone Mountain, but was changed to avoid duplication.
Amphitheatre	Lake	Descriptive of the aspect of surrounding terrain; it is actually a cirque.  Named by    Clinton Wood
Anderson	Lake	Formerly named Dove Lake but changed due to local objections & to conform to local usage.  Named for Tommy Anderson, a fine old pioneer & trailblazer, who built a cabin there in the 1920's.
Apps	Mount	Named for George Apps (1894-1982), teacher & principal of Cumberland Elementary School, also alderman & Freeman of the Village of Cumberland.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1984.
Argus	Mountain	Named to recognize the local newspaper, the Comox Argus, whose editor, Ben      Hughes, attempted to climb the mountain in 1931.  Argus means 'watchful guardian'. Suggested by Ben Hughes, CDMC; adopted in 1939.
Arnica	Lake	Named for a common wild flower which flourishes in this area.  Suggested by CDMC;Creek dopted in 1987.
Arrowsmith	Mount	Named for Aaron Arrowsmith & his nephew John Arrowsmith, English cartographers universally known for the excellence of their work.
Ash	Pond	Named for WW1 veteran, Captain G. H. Ash of Royston, an avid hiker who, for many years, took groups of young hikers into the hills; a kindly gentleman who always assisted the stragglers on any mountaineering trip.  Suggested by Ruth Masters,  CDMC; adopted in 1975.
Ash	River	Named for Victoria physician Dr. John Ash, a sponsor of Dr. Robert Brown's 1864Vancouver Island Exploration Expedition.
Aston	Pond	Named for Jimmy Aston, Courtenay pioneer, alderman, shoemaker & outdoorsman. Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adopted in1989.
Augerpoint	Mountain	Descriptive name chosen by an early surveyor, William Ralph.
Aureole	Icefield	Probably descriptive, aureole meaning 'halo' or 'luminous surround'.
Ball	Lake	Named for A. B. Ball, Royston General Store owner & Courtenay alderman, who took a special interest in the development of Forbidden Plateau.  Suggested by CDMC;         adopted in 1939.
Battleship	Lake	First named by Clinton Wood, when his son pointed out that the profile of the trees on the three small islands resembled battleships at anchor.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1939.
Beaufort	Range	Named for Sir Frances Beaufort, RN, Hydrographer of the Admiralty.
Beautiful	Lake	So named by Clinton Wood & Bill Douglas when they first saw it in 1927.
Becher	Mount	Named for Admiral Alexander Bridgeport Becher, RN  (1796-1876), a well-known &  respected surveyor who surveyed chiefly on the Canadian Lakes.
Bedwell	Lake	Named for Edward Parker Bedwell, RN, second master of the survey ship HMS      River Plumper.
Beech	Creek	Named for a pioneer, William Beech, who arrived in the Comox district about 1868.
Behinde, The	Mountain	Local name for the peak 2km due west of the Golden Hinde.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted 1980.
Big Den	Mountain	So named by Norman Stewart, BCLS, because of a winter den found there.
Big Interior	Mountain	Locally established descriptive name
Black Cat	Mountain	So named by an early hiking party which left Courtenay in miserable weather to climb Comox Glacier.  On the way, a black cat ran across the road in front of their car.  Thereafter, the weather cleared & they had a marvellous trip, later attributed to the luck
Boston	Lake	Named for "Boston" (E. J.) Calnan, of Happy Valley near Cumberland, who as a young Ridge man had a cabin at Boston Bay on Comox Lake, where he went with his friends at Bayweekends to booze up. Calnan was born in Nova Scotia, but lived in Boston before Creek arriving here, hence his nickname.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1976.
Brooks	Mount	Named for Allan Brooks, naturalist & eminent bird painter, winner of the Governor General's Gold Medal for his work; he had a summer home in Comox.                       Formerly known as Limestone Ridge
Brown's	River	Named for botanist Dr. Robert Brown, leader of the first exploration party to journey  across Vancouver Island in 1864.
Butterwort	Creek	Named for a common wild flower which flourishes in the area.
Buttle	Lake	Named for John James Taylor Buttle, geologist & botanist from Kew Gardens.  He Narrows discovered & mapped the lake in 1865 while leading an expedition in the area. Originally known as Buttle's Lake.
Campbell	Lake	Named for Dr. Samuel Campbell, surgeon on HMS survey vessel Plumper 1857-62,  River
Capes	Lake	Named for Geoffrey Bernard Capes, Courtenay businessman, who made many       exploring & climbing trips into Forbidden Plateau & Strathcona Park during 1920-60. Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adopted 1939.
Carey	Lakes	Named for George Hunter Carey, first Attorney General of the Colony of Vancouver Island, who is credited with having made the original suggestion for European settlement of the Comox Valley in 1858.
Carter	Lake	Named for RCAF Squadron Leader Frank Carter of Courtenay, who died in WW2.
Carwithen	Lake	Named for Reginald Carwithen, who settled in the Comox Valley in 1871
Castlecrag	Mountain	Descriptive name, well established locally as Castle Crag when recommended by   Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, in 1935; adopted as Castlecrag Mountain in 1948.
Century Sam	Lake	Named  to honour Sid Williams of Courtenay, hiker, climber, prospector, actor who portrayed Century Sam, mascot of  B.C.'s Centennial celebrations in 1958.
Charity	Lake	The name appears to have been chosen by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, who alsonamed Faith & Hope Lakes, Charity being the greatest of the three
Circlet	Lake	Originally named Circle Lake by John Brown, for its round shape, (it is actually within a cirque) but changed to Circlet in 1939.  John Brown was the Negro prospector who worked in the area in the 1920's, before its discovery by hikers.
Cliffe	Glacier	Named for the Cliffe family, Comox Valley pioneers
Colonel Foster	Mount	Named for Col. William W. Foster, ardent alpinist & president of the Alpine Club of Canada, 1922-24.  He was also BC's Deputy Minister if Public Works &  served with distinction in WW1 & as special commander for defence projects in WW2.
Comox	Lake	Comox Lake was originally known as Puntledge Lake, but by 1884 had acquired the        Indian name of Comox, meaning 'plenty' or 'abundance'.  The name was accepted  by the Geographical Board of Canada in 1922, & not changed to Cumberland Lake in spite of several attempts by the Village.
	Glacier
	Creek
	Gap
Constitution	Hill	Local name, origin unknown.
Cottingham	Lake	Named for RCAF F/O Cyril Morgan Cottingham of Comox, who died in WW2.
Cougar	Lake	Named for the nearby Cougar Main logging road of Comox Logging Co.Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adopted 1976.
Cream	Lake	Descriptive name for its opaque waters as veiwed from Septimus Glacier.
	Creek
Crest	Mountain	Descriptive name used since 1957.
	Lake
	Creek
Croteau	Lake	Named for Eugene Croteau, of Croteau Beach, Comox, who operated Croteau Guest Camp in the 1930's.  Suggested by Ruth Masters, CDMC; adopted 1939.
Crown	Mountain	Descriptive name, adopted in 1910; formerly known as McBride Peak & Ellison Peak.
Cruickshank	River	Named for George Cruickshank, Hon. Secretary, Vancouver Island Exploration        Committee, 1864.
Della	Falls	Named for Della, the wife of prospector Joe Drinkwater.
	Lake
Denman	Island	Named for Rear Admiral Joseph Denman, FRS, who visited Clayoquot in 1864.
Devoe	Mount	Named for William F. Devoe, settler & surveyor in the late 1800's-early 1900's.
Diana	Pool	Unofficial name for a tiny lake close to Moat Lake.  The name was chosen by a Plateau guide, P. L. Tait, for a visitor to the area, named Diana, whom he admired.
Divers	Lake	Originally named by John Brown, an early prospector, who observed loons (hell-divers)feeding on this lake, & so labelled on a map displayed in Strathcona Park Lodge from1935 onwards; adopted in 1939.
Donner	Lake	Named for Julius & Charles Donner, who had a cabin at the lake, 1907-11.
	Mount
Douglas	Lake	Named for William (Bill) Douglas, a Courtenay alderman, who was the first to introduce trout fry to this lake, & also McKenzie Lake.
Dove	Creek	Origin unknown; approved as a small feature by the Geographical Board of Canada in 1923.
Drabble	Mountain	Named for George Fawcett Drabble, one of the first 40 settlers in the Comox Valley.    He was a surveyor & engineer, & laid out the original townsite of Courtenay. He was also a confirmed bachelor & misogynist
	Lakes
Drinkwater	Creek	Named for Joe Drinkwater, a prospector & trapper who lost his life in an accident in this  area in 1938.
Duncan	Lake	Named for Robert & Charles Duncan, cousins from Courtenay, both of whom were killed in WW1; adopted in 2000.
El Piveto	Mountain	Spanish word for pivot, & associated with one of the first surveys of this area, in the early 1900's.
Elk	River	Named for the elk in this valley.
Elkhorn	Mountain	Descriptive name for its sharp peak.  It was known as the "Matterhorn of                Strathcona", but in 1912 the Canadian Alpine Club  suggested the name Elkhorn, as   the mountain is close to the Elk River
Elma	Mount	Named for Elma (Elizabeth Mary) Pearse, wife of Theed Pearse, a mayor ofCourtenay.  Elma rode to the top of this mountain on a horse named Lady when Clinton Wood led a party into this area in 1930.
Eric	Creek	Named for an early pioneer, Eric Duncan, author of "Fiftyseven years in the Comox  Valley".
Faith	Lake	Named by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, along with Hope & Charity Lakes.
Filberg	Mount	Named for Robert Filberg of Comox, head of Comox Logging Co.
	Creek
Flower	Ridge	Descriptive name for its rich sub alpine flora
Forbidden	Plateau	This name has been attributed to Ben Hughes, editor of the Comox Argus.  In 1927, he  wrote an article about a trip to the Plateau, recounting Dr. Robert Brown's diary for 1864 in which Dr. Brown writes of being unable to persuade any of the local natives to  accompany him on a trip up the Puntledge River because of a taboo, or from fear of  legendary spirits or hostile Nootka Indians.
Forbush	Lake	Named for Edward Howe Forbush, ornithologist, who collected birds in the area in  1888.
Frink	Mount	Named for a Miss Frink, girl friend of a visitor to the area in 1934 when it was being surveyed.
Frog	Pond	Unofficial name for a favoured camping site for hikers ascending the Comox Glacier by  the Comox Creek route.
Gem	Lake	Originally named Emerald Lake by the Regan (E. & N.) Survey Party in 1930, but later changed to Gem to avoid duplication.
Geoffrey	Mount	Named for Admiral Sir Geoffrey Thomas Phipps Hornby
George V	Mountain	Named for King George V in 1935, the year of his silver jubilee
Ginger Goodwin	Creek	Named for Ginger Goodwin, a labour organizer, who was shot & killed in 1918 on the lower northeast slope of this mountain by a Dominion policeman.
Gold	Lake	Named for the ore found here
Golden Hinde	The	Originally known as The Rooster's Comb, but was renamed in 1939 for Sir Francis  Drake's ship & to commemorate the 360th anniversary of Drake's arrival in these waters (Cape Flattery).
Green	Lake	Descriptive name for its colour when viewed from Mount Septimus.
Greig	Ridge	Named for Ted Greig of Royston, horticulturist & botanist, who was especially  interested in the flora of this area.
	Lake
	Creek
Haig Brown	Mount	Named for Roderick Haig-Brown, author & conservationist, who fought to save Buttle  Lake from flooding in the 1950's.
Hairtrigger	Lake	Named by Clinton Wood to commemorate the time, in the 1930's, when his party was out of food &, not wanting to  return home, went hunting for a deer in this area.  He saw one but, in his excitement, pulled the trigger too soon, & missed the deer, which bounded away.  So the party had to go back out, quite a journey in those days.
Harmston	Mount	Named for William Harmston, an early settler in the Comox Valley.
Harris	Lake	Named for a trapper who lived in Courtenay.
Harvey	Lake	Named for RCN Sub. Lt. Barnett "Buster" Harvey, from Comox, lost at sea in WW2; adopted in 2001.
Hawarth	Lake	Named for one of the nine men on the expedition to Crown Mountain in1910, led by Price Ellison.
Heber	Mount	Named for Heber De Voe, member of the 1913 survey party.
	River
Helen MacKenzie	Lake	Named for Helen Maud Hutton MacKenzie, niece of Lt. Governor Randolph Bruce, who  accompanied him at the formal opening of the Dove Creek trail into Forbidden Plateau  in 1929.
Hkusam	Mountain	From the Indian word for 'having fat or oil',  a reference to the Salmon River & the village at its mouth.
Hope	Lake	Named by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, who also named Faith & Charity Lakes.
Hornby	Island	Named for Admiral Sir Geoffrey Thomas Phipps Hornby.
Hutton	Lake	Named for RCAF Pilot Officer Allan Hutton of Cumberland, killed in WW2.
Iceberg	Peak	Descriptive name for the peak at north end of Rees Ridge, near Comox Glacier. Well established locally, adopted 2001.
Idiens	Lake	Named for Richard Bertram (Dick) Idiens, an ardent skier & hiker in the 1930's, who was killed in WW2. One of the founding members of CDMC when it was formed in  1927, Dick was its president in 1938 when he made the first winter ascent of Mount Albert Edward with Don & Phyl Munday & Len Rossiter.
	Creek
Indianhead	Mountain	This name originated from the story of John Brown, an early prospector, who believed that a rock formation he had seen on this mountain, resembling a human head, had  been carved by Indians (it is a natural shape).  CDMC suggested the name Indian Head which was adopted in 1939, but changed to Indianhead in 1948.
Ink	Lake	Descriptive name chosen by Sid Williams, who visited this lake in the early 1930's.
Jack Shark	Lake	Named for Jack Shark, longtime CDMC member who built Jack's Augerpoint Trail  from Buttle Lake to Mount Albert Edward.  Suggested by Ruth Masters & BC Parks; adopted 2001
Jim Mitchell	Lake	Named for a 17 year old surveyor's assistant who died in 1937as the result of an accident while working in this area of the Park.
John Brown	Lake	Named for a prospector, John Brown, who pioneered the Forbidden Plateau trails.
Johnston	Lake	Named for John "Scoop" Johnston, a Courtenay alderman in the 1920's.
Jutland	Mountain	Originally known as Mount Arthur for Arthur Leighton, QC, of Duncan, but was changed to Jutland to commemorate the famous WW1 naval battle.
Kalmia	Lake	Named by CDMC for the Kalmia (Bog Laurel) that flourishes in the sphagnum moss  surrounding the lake.
Karst	Creek	Named for the Karst (limestone) formation through which this creek disappears & reappears.
Kings	Peak	Named for Michael & James King, members of the Ellison expedition, 1910.
Kookjai	Lake	Said to be the Indian word for 'to see', this being the first place one can see the Comox    Glacier en route from Comox Gap.  Chosen by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, who had a  penchant for Indian names
Kooso	Lake	Kooso is the Indian word for 'to go'.
Kwai	Lake	Named in honour of the Clinton Wood family who pioneered camps & trails onForbidden Plateau.  Kwai is the Indian word for wood.
Lady	Lake	Named for a horse called Lady upon which Elma Pearse rode into the Plateau in 1930.
Laing	Mount	Named for Hamilton Mack Laing (1883-1982), naturalist, museum collector, nut orchardist & writer, who lived in Comox 1926-1982.
Landslide	Lake	Named for the landslide, triggered by an earthquake in 1946, when a massive amount  of rock slid off Mount Col. Foster into the lake.
Little Bedwell	Lake	Unofficial name for the lake immediately north of Bedwell Lake.
Lone Tree	Pass	Descriptive name, since one lone tree is visible in the pass between Black Cat  mountain & the Comox Glacier.
Lone Wolf	Mountain	Descriptive named given by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS.
Marble	Meadows	Named for the limestone (marble) formation of this area
	Peak
Mariwood	Lake	Named for Mary Wood, wife of Clinton Wood, in recognition of her hard work in the Plateau camps.
Mark	Mount	Named for Mark Bate of the Hudson Bay Co., stationed at Nanaimo when the mountain was named for him in 1860.
McBride	Mount	Named for Sir Richard McBride, Premier of B.C. in 1911 when Strathcona Park was  created.
McKay	Lake	Named for J. M. McKay, a prospector who staked claims on Mount Washington prior to 1941
McKenzie	Lake	Named for John McKenzie, Mayor of Courtenay in 1929, the year water rights were  obtained to dam this lake.  Originally named Seean Lake, an Indian word meaning 'chief', to honour all mayors of Courtenay, but changed after local objections.
McNish	Lake	Named for Catherine & James McNish, Comox Valley pioneers (1871).
McPhee	Lake	Named for Wallace McPhee, a Courtenay alderman, who was on the 1928 expedition into the Plateau.
McQuillan	Lake	Named for RCAF F/O Murray Robert McQuillan of Comox, who was shot down over  Norway in WW2.
Meadow	Lake	Descriptive name for the lake in Whiskey Meadows.
Memory	Lake	Origin unknown.
Mia	Lake	Named for Mia Schjelderup, daughter of a Courtenay surveyor.
Milla	Lake	Descriptive name, from the Indian word for 'white' or 'milky', because of its opaque colouring from glacial silt.  Locally known as Milk Lake.
Mirren	Lake	Named for Mirren Thomas of Courtenay.   She was hiking in the area with a group led  by Bill Bell (whom she later married) when they encountered a party of surveyors who asked her name so it could be given to the lake.
Moat	Lake	Descriptive name, suggested by Sid Williams in 1928, as it is situated at the foot of Castle Crag.
Murex	Creek	Cumberland Mining Company used this name in its application for water from this creek.
Murray	Meadows	Named for Jack Murray, the packer for Eugene Croteau in the 1930's.  Murray pastured his horses in these meadows between trips.
Myra	Mount	Named for Myra Cliffe, daughter of pioneer Samuel Cliffe of Comox, by Mike King who  Creek  explored Buttle Lake by canoe before 1900.
	Falls
Myra	Lake	Named for Myra Ellison, daughter of Price Ellison, & the only woman on his 1910government exploratory survey which preceded the establishment of Strathcona Provincial Park.
Netuts	Lake	Netuts is the Indian word for 'morning'; the lake was formerly known as McIntyre Lake.
Nine	Peaks	Descriptive name.
Norm	Lake	Named for Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, who conducted topographic surveys & produced the first detailed map of Strathcona Park, 1934-5.
Owen	Lake	Named for RCAF Pilot  John David "Jack" Owen of Comox, shot down in WW2.
Oyster	River	Origin unknown; described as an "old time name" in the Victoria Map Office.
Panther	Lake	So called by 1920's prospector John Brown, who said he was treed here by a family of panthers.
Paradise	Meadows	Descriptive name given by Clinton Wood who saw these meadows when exploring for   Ponds the Dove Creek Trail in 1928.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1939.
	Creek
Pearce	Creek	Formerly known as Pearce-McDougall Creek, according to the Cumberland Rod & Gun Club & CDMC.
Pearl	Lake	Suggested by CDMC as it is the headwaters of the Oyster River.
Pearse	Lake	Named for Theed Pearse, a Courtenay lawyer & a naturalist, & a former Courtenay  alderman & mayor.
Piggott	Creek	Named for Julian A. Piggott, the future husband of Helen MacKenzie.
Price	Creek	Named for the Hon. Price Ellison who, as a cabinet minister (Finance & Agriculture) in1910, was instrumental in establishing Strathcona Park.
Puntledge	River	Named for the Indian tribe (aka Pentlatch or Puntluch), a coast Salish clan, who lived along its banks.
	Lake
Puzzle	Mountain	Descriptive of the maze of snow drifts on its NE slope.
Quadra	Island	Named by the Geographic Board of Canada in 1903 to honour Juan Francisco de la Bodegay Quadra, a Spanish naval officer, governor of Nootka in 1792.
Ralph	River	Named for William Ralph who, in 1892, surveyed the western boundary of the E & N Railway Land Grant, which later became the eastern boundary of Strathcona Park.
Rambler	Mountain	Named for the Island Mountain Ramblers' Club.
Ramparts	Creek	Descriptive name chosen by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS.
Red Pillar	Mountain	Descriptive name;  Ben Hughes said this mountain was climbed in 1931 by Geoff  Capes & Jack Gregson, who left a note in a cairn at the summit suggesting the name "Pillar".  Since there were already other "Pillars" in BC, Red Pillar was chosen  because of its distinctly  red rock.
	Creek
Rees	Ridge	For Harry Rees, one of the first to explore this area.  He died alone on the Becher Trail  in 1933, aged 75 years .
	Creek
Regan	Mount	Named for a CPR surveyor, a Mr. Regan, who made an economic survey of the Plateau area for the E & N Railway Co. in 1930.
Rosewall	Creek	Named for J. Rosewall, owner of land at the mouth of the creek.
Rossiter	Lake	Named for Len Rossiter, an early Plateau & Park guide & ardent mountaineer. Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1939.
Rough & Tumble	Mountain	Apparently named by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS.
Ruth Masters	Lake	Unofficially named for long-time member of CDMC; name submitted in 1967, but being reserved as Ruth is still very much alive!
Schjelderup	Lake	Named for Col. Roger Schjelderup, WW2 hero who, at age 16, climbed the Golden   Hinde with Geoff Capes & Sid Williams, the day after the official survey crew made the  first ascent in July, 1937.  Suggested by Ruth Masters; adopted in 1978.
Septimus	Mount	Probably named for Septimus Evans, surgeon on survey ship HMS Beaver; but thoughtby some to be descriptive of its 7 peaks.
Simms	Lake	Named for Charles Simms, a former mayor of Courtenay, who was keenly interested in Strathcona Park.
Shepherd	Creek	Named for F. H. Shepherd who surveyed the E & N Railway right-of-way acrossVancouver Island to Port Alberni in 1909.
Siokum	Creek	Indian word for 'in the sun'.
Slingshot	Meadows	Named in the 1930's to identify the meadow where horses used to be tethered, & was so called because someone had left a slingshot hanging on a tree there.
Strata	Mountain	Descriptive name for the pronounced stratification of its rock formation
Strathcona	Park	BC's first Provincial Park was named in 1911for Donald Alexander Smith, First Baron Strathcona & Mount Royal, governor of the Hudson Bay Co., MP, & later, director of the CPR.
Stuart Wood	Island	Named for RCAF F/O Thomas Clinton Stuart Wood, elder son of Clinton & Mary Wood.
Sunrise	Lake	Named by Clinton Wood who, in 1928, camped above the lake & observed the sun rise  over the lake in the morning.
Tennent	Lake	Named for Capt. Tennent who worked on the 1937 Thompson Topographical survey.
Thelwood	Mount	Named for Ethel Wood who toured the Park in 1912.  She was the wife of G. C. Wood , Creek MLA for Alberni, 1912-14.
Tzela	Lake	Apparently named by Norman C. Stewart, BCLS, who chose the Indian word for  'heart'.  It was formerly known as Gregson Lake, for Jack Gregson of Courtenay who  was with the first party to climb the Red Pillar, above the lake
Volcano	Lake	So called because it resembles a crater lake; it is actually a classic example of  a lake in a cirque.
Wagner	Lakes	Named for surveyor Gordon Wagner of Comox, surveyor, historian, author &philanthropist.  Suggested by CDMC; adopted in 1997.
Waiatt	Bay	From the Kwakwala Indian word meaning 'where there is herring spawn'.
Washington	Mount	According to Walbran in "Place Names of British Columbia", it was named for Rear  Admiral John Washington, FRS,  hydrographer.  It is a coincidence that this mountain, as viewed from Comox, has the profile of George Washington's face.
Wattaway	Meadows	Chosen by early CDMC members for Peggy Watt, an enthusiastic Plateau hiker in the1930's.
	Creek
Whiskey	Meadows	This name was adopted in the 1930's, following a trip into the Plateau by a party, ledby Clinton Wood, which included the Minister of Mines, Thomas Dufferin Patullo, later   the Premier of B.C.  They camped in the meadows & were deluged with rain but, so  the story goes, the day was saved when it was discovered that one of the pack-horses  had carried in a case of whiskey.  Whiskey Rock was the place where the empty bottles were piled!
	Rock
White	Ridge	Named for the exposed white limestone formation.
Willemar	Lake	Named for Rev. J. X. Willemar, the first RC priest in Comox District (he later became Anglican).   This lake & Forbush Lake are known locally as the Little Lakes.
Wolf	Lake	Origin unknown, but an old name. Probably so named because someone saw a wolf in  River the vicinity.
Wood	Mountain	Named for Clinton Wood who built the original Forbidden Plateau Lodge in the early 1930's.