Pin Quest Alberta

Bighorn Municipal District shares its name with the nearby Bighorn River, Bighorn Dam, Bighorn Canyon, Bighorn River, and Bighorn Mountain Range. This naming convention comes from the abundance of bighorn sheep in the area.

Bonnyville takes its name from from a French Catholic missionary who arrived with the first wave of European settlers. Reverend Father Francis Bonny was the first priest to become a resident of the community, and built the first Catholic church in 1908. Two years later when the first post office opened, it was given the name Bonnyville in his honour. 

Brazeau County takes its name from Joseph Edward Brazeau, a clerk and postmaster for the Hudson’s Bay Company. When Captain Palliser led a survey expedition through western Canada, Brazeau served as an interpreter with Palliser noting in his log that Brazeau “spoke Stoney, Sioux, Salteau, Cree, Blackfoot and Crow… [and] also spoke English, French and Spanish fluently."

Coming soon!

Clearwater County takes its name from the nearby Clearwater River which is fed by glaciers in Banff National Park, runs through southern Alberta, then empties into the North Saskatchewan River. 

Forty Mile takes its name from the Forty Mile Coulee, a geographical channel formed by glacial meltwater. The Coulee is one of several in the county that form a network of waterways, lakes, and natural spaces that attract visitors to the area. 

Coming soon!

Coming soon!

Northern Lights County unsurprisingly takes its name from the Aurora Borealis or ‘northern lights’ that can be seen often because of the town's location at the north of Alberta. 

Northern Sunrise County adopted its name in 2002, to reflect its location at the north of Alberta, and unsurprisingly the sunrises in the area. The community’s name changed from the Municipal District of East Peace, taken from its location on the east bank of the Peace River.

Pincher Creek is unsurprisingly named after the creek of the same name. The creek is said to have been given its name from a pair of pincers used to trim horse hooves that was lost in the river by early prospectors passing through, and were found years later by a Northwest Mounted Police patrol. 

When Europeans arrived in the area that would become Ponoka, the first Indigenous people they met were the Blackfoot and it is from the Blackfoot word for “elk” that Ponoka takes its name. The area was contested between the Blackfoot who would later migrate south, and the Cree whose communities remain there today. 

Rocky View County was established in 1955 through the amalgamation of several rural municipalities and given the name “District of Calgary” a name so unpopular that later the same year, a contest was held for schoolchildren to pick a new name. Leslie Burwash won $25 for his submission “Rocky View” in reference to the mountains that can be seen in the community. 

Saddle Hills County takes its name from a range of hills in the area that resemble the shape of a horse’s saddle. 

Smoky Lake County takes its name from a Cree legend in which vapour rising from the lake obscured the view of the opposite shore. The name is a translation of the Cree name kaskapatau sakahigan. 

Coming soon!

St. Paul was originally called St-Paul-de-Metis and was founded after missionary Albert Lacombe petitioned for a land grant for the Metis people. It takes its name from the Catholic parish dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle who is perhaps best known for his many letters.

Coming soon!

Thorhild most likely takes its name from the Norse god Thor and would translate roughly as “Thor’s Hill”. This name was given to the local post office by Norwegian settlers who replaced its initial name “Byron”.

Warner County was originally called Brunton Siding, and was named for a land agent for the Alberta Railways and Irrigation Company named A.L. Warner.

Wheatland was formed in 1955 by the amalgamation of Bow Valley, Serviceberry, and Kneehill. With the three communities having a proud agricultural history the name Wheatland was chosen in recognition to being a good area to grow wheat. 

The environment around Woodlands County is largely made up of heavy forested areas. These ‘woodlands’ are where the community takes its name. 

Bragg Creek is a hamlet that is part of Rocky View County.

Donated by Allan Dias