The Setting
A Guide to Place Names of Southcrop and Surrounds
Southcrop may be familiar to you if you live or holiday in southern Ontario, Canada. Of course trees have their own names for everything. If you find this confusing, have a look at a hewmen map of the area.
Place names are a challenge for trees. There are so many trees and so many places, either the names they use are purely descriptive or they are borrowed from the peoples they have come in contact with over the years. Communication between trees and people is rare but has happenned throughout history, and most recently during the time of the fur trade.
Descriptive Names
· Southcrop = The area bounded by Highways 11 and 400, and the Servern River. Named because of its southern location on the Canadian shield. Of course Southcrop has more than one meaning. You'll have to read the story to find out more...
· Big East Trail = Highway 11
· Big West Trail = Highway 400
· Oak River Bay and Oak River = Severn Sound and Severn River
· Dark Forest = Boreal Forest
· Bay of Winds = Lake Couchiching
· Highlands and Southern Envoy (of dark green) = Haliburton Highlands and Algonquin Park
· Limestone Escarpment = Niagara Escarpment
· Big Falls = Niagara Falls
· Deep Sky = lands north of the Severn River notable in modern times for the absence of light pollution. It is home to the Torrence Barrens - Dark Sky Reserve where many humans go to star gaze.
Borrowed Names
· Ouentironk = Lake Simcoe
· Lake Attigouatan = Georgian Bay
· Kitchi-gami = Lake Superior
· Lake Yenresh = Lake Erie
· Onitariio = Lake Ontario
· Toronton = Toronto
· Mnjikaning = Orillia.
