Place Names of Alberta Series
Reviewed by David L. Brown. National Archives of Canada.
"Notices." Archivaria: The Journal of the Association of Canadian Archivists. No. 52, Fall 2001, pp 191-192.
Place Names of Alberta, Volume I, Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills. APHRODITE KARAMITSANIS. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, Alberta Community Development, Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta Society, 1991, 292 p. ISBN 0-9198-1373-9.
Place Names of Alberta, Volume II, Southern Alberta. APHRODITE KARAMITSANIS. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, Alberta Community Development, Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta Society, 1992, 152 p. ISBN 0-9198-1395-X.
Place Names of Alberta, Volume III, Central Alberta. TRACEY HARRISON. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, Alberta Community Development, Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta Society, 1994, 288 p. ISBN 1-8951-7644-1.
Place Names of Alberta, Volume IV, Northern Alberta. MERRILY K. AUBREY. Calgary: University of Calgary Press, Alberta Community Development, Friends of Geographical Names of Alberta Society, 1996, 260 p. ISBN 1-8951-7659-X. ISBN 0-9198-1391-7 (set).
For centuries, people have named places and geographical features to commemorate people (Fort McMurray) or an event (Battle Creek), describe their physical likeness to other phenomena (Castle Mountain), or document activity related to the exploration, mapping, and settlement of an area. The naming of populated places and geographic features is not only an important part of Canadian culture, but it is conducive to allowing one to situate themselves meaningfully in geographic space. "I will meet you at 52° 01'20"N 113° 57'30"W," is certainly not as intuitive as stating: "I will meet you at Innisfail."
This four-volume series provides a comprehensive account of the toponymic history of the province of Alberta. The focus of the series is upon officially approved names; however, an attempt is also made to cross reference these names with the historic name(s) or unofficial name that may sometimes be applied to a particular place or feature. Unofficial names are those that have not been validated through toponymic research. Nor have they been approved through the appropriate provincial or territorial body responsible for sanctioning the use of the name in an official capacity. Various rules and guidelines for geographical naming in Canada are used to ensure that the naming process reflects the multicultural heritage of Canada, and to make certain that official publications, including maps, apply names consistently.1
Each volume reveals fascinating information about the history and cultural heritage of Alberta through the use of toponyms. Unlike the gazetteers that are produced by the provinces and territories in association with the geographical Names Board of Canada, and that only provide information about the geographical position (latitude and longitude) and maps sheet with which a name is associated, these publications provide information about the origin of a name. This is invaluable when conducting research because it sets the historical context of the name within both time and space. To the best of my knowledge, these publications are the first in Canada to provide such detail about the origin and meaning of a particular name.
Compiled by experts in the field of toponymy, these publications will be a useful source for both the novice and the expert who is interested in conducting toponymic research about a particular location or feature on the Alberta landscape.
1. Comprehensive information about the rules and guidelines that are used in the naming process can be found in the Geographical Names Board of Canada, Principles and Procedures for Geographical Naming, 2001 (Ottawa: Geomatics Canada, 2001), 24 pp.