Adopted in the 6th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1906, "...on the telegraph trail", as labelled on Geological Survey of Canada map, Fort Edmonton to Pacific Ocean, by A.R.C. Selwyn to accompany report by G.M. Dawson, 1876-77.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

After Michael Byrnes, Collins Overland Trail, 1860's.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

After Michael Byrnes, an explorer for the abortive Collins Overland Telegraph scheme. Byrnes passed this lake around 1866, while surveying a route from Fort Fraser to Hagwilget.

Source: Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997

Michael Byrnes (or Burns) and Vital La Force (or Le Fort) were scouts for the Western Union Telegraph (Collins Overland) in 1865 and 1866. Originally spelled "Byrnes Lake" on 1866 map of Western Union Telegraph, by J.C.White. The same pair were original discoverers of gold at Williams Creek near Barkerville in 1861, along with William Dietz and Edward Stout, and they later played a major role in the Omineca Gold Rush of 1869. (October 2011 advice from researcher K. Guenter, Smithers, former longtime resident of Burns Lake )

Source: included with note