The key to understanding the history of the Clyde Blockhouse is understanding the historical name for the Indian trail from Sodus Bay to the Clyde River. The name for the place during the 18th Century was unknown to the first settlers, who simply called it "Block House". During the French and Indian War, and on maps up until 1783, the location was marked "Sodoms". Long thought by historians to just be a "misprint of Sodus", it was the location of an Iroquois village and English fort / trading post. There are a number of variations in spelling and pronunciation, including Sodons, Sodans, Sodens, Sodorus, Assorodus, Aserotus, Osenodus, Ossaroda, Sodus, etc. The name, generally, applied to the trail or passage from Lake Ontario to the Clyde River. Applying names to a wider region was common practice among the Iroquois. The name Canadesaga, for example, applied to the town, the adjacent creek, and to Seneca Lake. "Tiohero" applied to Cayuga Lake, a nearby Cayuga town, and the Clyde River.
Once permanent settlers arrived in the area, the name "Sodus" was adopted in reference to Sodus Bay and its environs.
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