Modern Mississauga and Heritage Mississauga have come together to present an ongoing series called “Way Back Wednesday’s."
We’ll share information about the history of Mississauga here and answer your questions.
Today’s topic is the history of Wabukayne Court & Lake Wabukayne.

Wabukayne Court and Lake Wabukayne, near the modern intersection of Erin Mills Parkway and Britannia Road, take their name from Wabukayne Creek which flows through this area. Lake Wabukayne is a man-made lake, which, in its original form, served as a cattle pond on the Cooke family farm, and as such predates the surrounding modern subdivision. The cattle pond was created by the Cook(e) family in 1946 when they built a dam on Wabukayne Creek, taking advantage of a natural valley where the creek flowed through their farm property

The modern Lake Wabukayne and the surrounding park and subdivision were constructed in 1976 by the Cadillac Fairview Corporation as part of their Erin Mills Development. Lake Wabukayne is a 1.8 hectare man-made in-stream stormwater management pond. The inflow to the lake is entirely municipal storm-water originating from the residential road network. Lake Wabukayne has an important role in controlling the quality and quantity of stormwater that enters the downstream river system, especially in terms of reducing erosion and sedimentation of the receiving streams, Mullet Creek and the Credit River.

Historically, the name “Wabukayne” is believed to come from Chief Wabukanyne (also spelt Wabukayn). He was a Mississauga (Ojibwa) Chief of the Eagle Clan at the Credit River who signed Treaties 13 and 13-A in 1805. Wabukayn translates as “White Snow”. It is unknown when and why the creek, which originally fed into Lake Wabukayne, was named but the name appears on maps prior to 1920.