Prior to the 1500’s, the Thirty Thousand Islands region of Georgian Bay was home only to the Ojibway Natives. The first white man to visit the region was Etienne Brule in 1610. Brule was sent by Samuel de Champlain, the governor of New France, to meet with, trade with and study the Ojibway Natives. Champlain himself canoed down the coast in 1615 and named it La Mer Douce, “the Freshwater Sea.” Two Hundred years after Champlain’s journey, the British Navy charted the Great Lakes and gave Georgian Bay its present name, in honour of King George IV. Since that time the Bay has been used for logging, shipping, and most recently, recreation.