And now for something completely different

(Let's see how long it takes)

The meaning of Winnipesaukee...I've seen several translations. My personal favorite is Beautiful Water in a High Place...but here are the ones I have found.

"The Smile of the Great Spirit"
"Beautiful Water in a High Place"
"Good Smooth Water at Outlet"
"Land Around Lake"
"at the lake in the vicinity of which there are other lakes and ponds"
"where the water flows out"

Three and five are very odd.

If you think about it, #5 is just a wordy way to say Lakes Region. And you have to remember that before Europeans arrived ...pre-dams...the lake had a different configuration and water pattern.

A lady who was like a mother to my mother who died in 1954 told my mother that the water in the lake used to be a whole lot higher on my parent's property a long time ago.

I'd have to do a little research but I think the dams went up in the 19th century...that would have raised the water level but only to the level that it is currently.

I really don't know what she was referring to but I always wondered.

It appears the first dam was built in 1766, rebuilt in 1828 and built of stone in 1851 a second dam was built in 1861
According to this document, the lake was 5 to 12 feet lower than it is today.

An interesting read.

http://weirsbeach.com/reasons-to-visit/history/natives/