Chezakut Lake, which is now known as “Chilcotin Lake,” is located by the Chilcotin River at an elevation of 3,290 feet above sea level.1 Chezakut is the anglicized name of “Cheẑich'ed” -- from the Tsilhqot'in language.
The name change from Chezakut to Chilcotin Lake was issued on 11 March 2019 by recommendation from the Tsilhqot'in National Government.2
This area, like all lakes in the Chilcotin Region were described by the Tsilhqot'in as the heart of their country. To the Tsilhqot'in, water was sacred and bound them to a certain way of behaving
towards it, a view which was believed should apply to all who used the resource.3 However, with the arrival of settlers, the area around Chilcotin Lake was used for
the exploitation of resources such as basalt. The construction of roads that ran close
to it, such as the Bentinck Arm route, also increased pollution. The latter further facilitated the spread of disease,
especially smallpox, as observed by English geologist F. Poole.4
1. Canadian Pacific Railway: Description of the Country between Lake Superior and the
Pacific Ocean on the Line of the Canadian Pacific Railway, (Ottawa: November 1876).