Who discovered the Great Lakes?

The lakes were probably discovered by native Indians centuries ago. They found the area to be an ideal place to live because of the abundance of game. Explorers, working toward the west, then came along to map and name each of the Great Lakes.

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh water in the world. French fur trappers called it Lac Superieur, which is French for Upper Lake. The lake is part of the great interior waterway system of Canada and the United States called the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that is completely within the United States. All of the others are shared by the United States and Canada and form part of the boundary between the two countries.

Indians who lived on the shores of Lake Michigan called it Michi gums, which means big water. Through popular use, Michi guma eventually became Michigan. It is third¬largest of the five Great Lakes.

Lake Huron was named for the Huron Indians who lived on its shores. About 206 miles long, it lies between Lake Michigan and Lake Erie.

French explorers called Lake Erie Lac du Chat, which means Lake of the Cat. They chose this name because the Iroquois Indians called the tribe of Indians living near the lake Erieehronons. This Indian word probably meant the people of the panther.

Smallest and most eastern of the five Great Lakes is Lake Ontario. The name came from the Iroquois Indians who lived in the region when the French explorers first arrived. The word Ontario may mean beautiful lake or it may mean rocks standing high or near the water, referring to Niagara Falls.

The Niagara River connects Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and it is on this waterway that the famous Niagara Falls is located. The falls are the greatest natural source of hydroelectric power in North America.

The most common type of ship on the lakes today is the ore carrier, a special vessel built for lake trade.