The History behind the names of the salmon pools on the York River Z.E.C.

by Ron Patterson and Sandy Patterson, erca 1980's

Zone 1

Little Fork - Named after the brook leading into the pool called Little Fork brook.

Little Salmon - Was called Little Salmon hole at first because it was a little hole where salmon used to lie.

Flat Rock - Named after the large flat rock that covers the bottom of the pool.

Butler - Named after a fisherman with the last name Butler.

Forbes - Named after a fisherman with the last name Forbes.

Baillargeon - The bridge crossing this pool leads tt the entrance of Baillargeon park. The pool was created after the bridge was built.

Huit Bouleaux - In this pool there used to be eight birch trees on the bank of the river where salmon used to lie. Thus it got the name "Eight Birches" which translated into french is Huit Bouleaux.

Zone 2

Big Fork - Named after the brook leading into the pool called Big Fork brook.

Zone 3

Mississippi - Named after the Mississippi brook that runs into the river near the pool.

Bluff - The bank of the river is a very steep cliff or "bluff" near this pool, thus the name "Bluff".

Zone 4

Island - Named after the island in the middle of this river near this pool.

Ruth - Named after a very pretty woman who was the wife of one of the guides on the river. Named because of the beauty of the river at this spot.

Carter - Named after a fisherman that fished this pool.

Maitland - Named after a fisherman.

Dog Run - Named because this is the rapids or "run" below Dog pool.

Dog - Years ago, as a trapper crossed the river here, he lost his sleigh dog through the ice at this pool. The dog was never found, thus the pool was called "Dog" after this incident.

Still - This is a very deep, slow, still pool thus it is called "Still" due to its calm nature.

Cedar - Named after the patch of cedar trees growing near the river at this pool.

Big Salmon - This is the location of the old fishing camps. It is named Big Salmon hole, because this was a large pool where a lot of salmon used to lie.

Alfred - Named after Alfred Miller, an old prospector and fisherman.

Zone 5

Araback - Named after Mr. Araback who was part owner of the river.

Trail - Due to the fact that the fishermen could not pole their canoe above this pool, they built a walking trail that left this pool and went to the pools above. This is the reason that they called this pool "Trail".

Garry - Named after a guardian who found this pool.

Red Bank - There is a red bank on the cliff on the north side of the pool. This pool was filled up with a high river in 1961, and has been poor ever since.

Zone 6

Dexter - Was the name of the first fisherman who caught a salmon in this pool.

Fairbanks - Was the name of the first fisherman who caught a salmon in this pool.

Murdoch - Named after the fisherman who bought 90 acres of land around this pool to build a campsite. The campsite was never built.

Tub - Named after the river bottom in the pool which has the oval shape of a bathtub.

Zone 7

La Chute - Named because of the waterfall "Chute" immediately above the pool.

Viviane - Named after Viviane Patterson, a guardian who found the pool.

Guard Rail - So named because there used to be a long guard rail along the main road in front of this pool.

Gorge - The rock on the river bed at this pool is mostly soft sandstone. Thus over the years the water cut a deep gorge in the land. It is in this gorge that this pool is situated.

Beaver - So named due to the number of beavers in the area.

Zone 8

Offie - Named after Offie Miller, the head guide and manager of the river for several years.

Spruin Rock - A man named John Spruin got stranded on a large rock in this pool during a log drive. This pool is thus named after the rock that John was stranded on.

Zone 9

Ecluse - This pool is actually a series of small pools separated by little water falls, making it similar in appearance to locks in a canal, which in fact is the direct translation of "Ecluse".

L'Orignal - This pool was called Moses Island, named after Moses Vardon. While being translated into french, Moses was confused with moose and as a result the pool is now called "l'Orignal".

Terry - Named after Terry Miller, a guardian who found this pool after an ice run in the early 1970's.

Keg - Named after Keg Brook which runs into the top of the pool. Keg Brook got its name from a whiskey keg that was thrown into the brook by a trapper.

Pine Hill - To get to this pool a trail had to be cut around part of Pine Hill Brook. Thus the name "Pine Hill".

Mountaineer - Named after the Mountaineer Hills that are situated right behind this pool.

Bridge - Located at the location where the old mine road bridge crosses the river, thus the name "Bridge".

Stony Beaver Dam - Named due to the large stones and numerous beaver dams near this area.

Big Beaver Dam - Named because there was a large beaver dam on the brook on the south side of the river.

Random - Named because it is located near Random Hill. Previously called Tom's Pool but was changed.

Patch - Named after Patch Brook which runs into the river just above the pool. Patch Brook was earlier named Madeline Fork but was renamed due to the over abundance of Forks.

Zone 10

Trout - So named because it was a good holding spot for trout in the fall.

Whitehouse - The fire association had a white cabin on the bank overlooking this pool.

Big Eddy - Named after the big whirlpool (eddy) in the middle of the pool.

Garland - Named after a hunter called Garland that had a camp on the edge of this pool.

Zone 11

Anderson - Was previously called Henderson after the Henderson Hills nearby, but was changed to Anderson.

Oatcake - Named after Oatcake Brook which runs into the pool. The brook is named after a batch of Oatmeal cookies thrown into the brook by a disgruntled cook.

Green Woods - So named since it was the only pool that still had green woods around it after the 1941 fire.