The Story Behind Alberta Names: How Cities, Towns, Villages and Hamlets Got Their Names

Ken Tingley is past president of the Friends of Geographic Names Society
of Alberta and regularly reviews history books for the Edmonton Journal.

The author of this book has passed up several important opportunities to
delve into crucial archival resources to accomplish the goal indicated
by its title. While The Story Behind Alberta Names benefits from a good
scan of newspaper clipping files, recent Internet sources, and several
solid archival resources, it ignores other indispensable sources such as
the federal postal records. Good use is made of local histories, but
while some are referenced, others are not, leaving the reader to ponder
the source of information.

Existing works such as the four-volume Place Names of Alberta,
published through the Geographical Names Program of Alberta Sites
Service, Community Development, remain the standard. Sanders makes use
of these sources but in many cases adds little to the information
presented in them. The Geographical Names Program is currently preparing
a similar work.

The book is marred by many factual errors. For example, Strathcona was
incorporated as a town in 1899, and as a city in 1907, rather than the
dates indicated. Jasper Place is said to have “straddled Jasper
Avenue,” whereas it grew up well west of the end of Jasper Avenue.

Many of the short entries add little or nothing to the existing books,
which indicates some confusion as to whether The Story Behind Alberta
Name is meant to be a reference book or an interesting read. While many
entries repeat other sources to ensure a complete overview, others would
have benefited from more information about the men and women behind the
names, most of whom remain indistinct figures.