Known in English as Mount Newton, the Wsanec First Nations know the mountain as ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ (or Lau, Welnew), which means "place of refuge" in the Sencoten language. The mountain is a significant historical feature. For thousands of years, elders have passed down the story of the Great Flood and the ancestors who survived it. During the flood, thought to have occured over 10,000 years ago, ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱ was the place of refuge, where the ancestors tied their boats to an arbutus tree atop the mountain. When they came down from the mountain, they were named Wsanec, "the emerging people." First Voices has a beautifully illustrated version of the Wsanec flood story.

 

ȽÁU,WELṈEW̱, or Mount Newton, is also the home of John Dean Provincial Park, a protected old-growth Douglas Fir and Garry Oak ecosystem that has a number of hiking trails and wildlife viewing areas.