New Book about Alberta place names: Abee to Zama City

Alberta place names bookAbee to Zama City is our newest book, which was released in October 2024. This book about Alberta place names explores the fascinating history behind the names of cities, towns, villages, and hamlets through the eyes of renowned author and historian Harry Sanders. The book is designed to both entertain the curious and educate serious etymologists, providing a revealing portrait of Alberta’s past, but also an in-depth reference. Sanders’ in-depth research answers several questions for each community: Where is it located? What is the origin of the name? Who named it? If the name has changed over time, why?

The hundreds of entries in this Alberta place names book can be divided into a number of categories:

Indigenous in origin. Okotoks means “Big Rock” for a nearby glacial erratic.
Descriptive. As charming as Sunnynook and as simple as Beaver Crossing.
For people. Including the first alphabetical entry in this book, Abee, a spelled out initial name.
From other places. Including Banff, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Literary in origin. Thorhild was named for the Norse god of strength.
Manufactured names. Irricana is a combination of irrigation and canal.
Misspellings. Kathryn was misspelt by the original town painter and is now Kathyrn.

For more information about Abee to Zama City, click here.

See below for a sample page.

Alberta place names book