Ontario Place Names: The Historical, Offbeat or Humorous Origins of Close to 1,000 Communities

Wesley B. Turner is an associate professor of history at Brock
University and author of The War of 1812: The War That Both Sides Won
and The Military in the Niagara Peninsula.

David Scott is an established writer and editor with a list of travel
articles and books to his credit, including three others about Ontario.
Using published sources and records of the Ontario Geographic Names
Board, he compiled information on the history and names of every
community with a population of 200 or more. In a field where there are
at least two other ample works of this type, Scott presents his book as
“an inexpensive thumbnail history of Ontario places and the origin of
their names.” It is the kind of guidebook that fits easily into a
car’s door pocket, to be consulted whenever the urge strikes as you
drive about the province.

The list of names begins with Acton and ends with Zurich. For each
place the population and location are given, followed by a succinct
account of the community’s founding, naming, and, where possible, any
claims to fame. For example, for Zurich, Scott reports that Sir Stephen
Willison, “a political journalist and one-time editor of the Toronto
Globe and the Toronto News,” was born nearby in 1856. For Acton,
special mention is made of its tanning industry. Both communities
received their names from European places. Other names (e.g., Almonte,
Azilda, Eugenia, and Puce, to mention only a few) have different
origins.

In the introduction, United Empire Loyalist settlement is dated to
1683, a surprising error in a book that seems otherwise carefully
assembled and edited. The author urges readers to share with him
information they find missing, a challenge that could lead to the
improvement of what is already an interesting book. This guide to
Ontario communities should provide pleasure, as well as information, for
travelers or simply those with an interest in Ontario’s history.