Calgary was almost called Fort Brisebois. The City of Calgary says that when Inspector Ephrem-A Brisebois named the North-West Mounted Police post after himself in January 1876, his own superior objected.
The City of Calgary’s newsroom history lays it out. The fort at the meeting of the Bow and Elbow rivers had first been called The Elbow, then briefly Fort Brisebois. Assistant Commissioner Colonel A.G. Irvine wrote that the fort was not built by Brisebois’ troop and that neither the troop nor the people nearby wished the place called Brisebois.
Where the name Calgary came from
Irvine wrote to Canada’s Justice Minister that Colonel Macleod supported the name Calgary, which Irvine believed meant clear running water in Scotch. The City dates the naming to February 29, 1876, and says Ottawa approved it in April. Brisebois resigned from the force in August.
We love that hedge. Irvine hedged on the meaning himself, so even the man who proposed the name was not certain of its meaning. The City quotes him calling it a very appropriate name, and we think he was right.
Other sources credit Macleod directly. The heritage guide entry says he named the fort after his Scottish ancestral home, so the credit is shared in the record, and worth stating with care.
The fort at the start
The heritage guide entry for Fort Calgary says the fort was built in late summer 1875 and finished in about six weeks, with outer walls of 3.5 metre pine logs floated from upstream. It received national historic site designation in 1925, and the current structure is a reconstruction on the original site within a 12 hectare park.
That entry also notes possible remains of Contact Period Aboriginal campsites just outside the palisade, a reminder that the spot was a meeting place long before the police arrived.
Our view is that Calgary’s name is a small piece of workplace feedback that stuck. A superior told a subordinate the troop did not want his name on the fort, and the city got a better one. Go stand at the rivers and say it out loud.
The Calgary Tower Went Up in One Mighty Pour pairs nicely with this one, and Calgary Buildings With More Careers Than Most Actors is close behind. Or try Three women, a kitchen table and a $15 million dare for a change of pace.
More from the archive: The Women Who Kept Lougheed House Alive After 1938 and A Calgary horror short called Never Seen gets its premiere.
Quick answers
Inspector Brisebois named the Mounted Police post after himself in January 1876, and his superior objected. Assistant Commissioner Colonel A.G. Irvine wrote that the troop and the people nearby did not wish the place called Brisebois. Brisebois resigned from the force in August.
The City of Calgary dates the naming to February 29, 1876, and says Ottawa approved it in April. Irvine wrote that Colonel Macleod supported the name Calgary, which Irvine believed meant clear running water in Scotch. Other sources say Macleod named it after his Scottish ancestral home.
The heritage guide says Fort Calgary was built in late summer 1875 and finished in about six weeks, with outer walls of 3.5 metre pine logs floated from upstream. It received national historic site designation in 1925. The current structure is a reconstruction on the original site in a 12 hectare park.
