Have you ever wondered about the name "Loon Lake", and where it came from? Have you ever looked at a topographic map and noticed our lake has a different name? Have you ever noticed the different name spelled differently?
Well, those questions prompted me to look into some history and find some answers to those questions! And I went to some historians and specialists to dig deeper.
I thought our local museum would be a good place to start. I queried the names "Dudmon" and "Dudman" (different spellings) and found out nothing concrete other than "Dudmon" could possibly be "made up" from Dudley and Monmouth, after the two townships our lake spans. The name "Dudman" could possibly have come from the fact that there are, and have been, Dudman families living to the south of Loon Lake for decades.
The local museum referred me to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources where a "Geographic Names Specialist" worked. I found out that our lake has officially been "Loon Lake" since 1961 and that indeed it has been shown on maps and documents as "Dudmon Lake" (1938 and 1945); as "Mink Lake" (1905, 1927, and 1938) and as "Silver Lake" in 1858.
1858 is a long time ago!
As I write this, I look out the window at the bright sun shimmering on the water and I can imagine someone standing on the shore of our lake and calling it "Silver Lake"!
Well, I got my answer and had some fun discovering more Loon Lake History!
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