Elk Lake, located north-west of Victoria, was named in honour of the elk that were once abundant in the area.1 According to the Akriggs, the Saanich First Nation name for the lake meant drifts from place to place, in reference to an island of floating weeds that the Saanich believed was a monster
who brought bad luck to all who looked upon it.2 On this 1852 map, Pemberton labels the body of water “Saanich Lake”.
1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 72.