Category Archives: Place Names

Cecilia Lake

British Columbia. Lake
Just W of BC-Alberta boundary, SE of Kakwa Lake
53.9361 N 120.0219 W — Map 093H16 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1925
Official in BCCanada

George Kilpatrick, pastor of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, visited this area in 1923, and suggested this name after the daughter of a friend (11 February 1957 letter from Geographic Board of Canada, file P.1.47).

Called “Surprise Lake” by Samuel Prescott Fay [1884–1971], who was in the area in 1912 and 1914; called “Greenwater Lake” by Col. Townsend Whelen, a trophy hunter who was there in 1922.

Wrote Arthur Oliver Wheeler [1860–1945] during the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission survey:

The lake is a very beautiful one, of a rich deep blue colour, some two miles in length by half a mile wide. Situated in a pocket of the surrounding heights, it is so closely encircled that it is very nearly reached before being seen. In consequence it is known locally as “Surprise” Lake. The name, Cecilia Lake, was given by Mr. Lambart and as there are a number of other Surprise Lakes, it has been adopted.

The upper valley of the lake is fairly open with scattered bodies of spruce and balsam of small size. The slopes encircling the basin of the lake are densely forested. The outlet, Cecilia Creek, flows in a broad valley showing much open meadowland along the bottom and densely forested side slopes. It has a northwesterly course of some nine miles to its junction with the Kakwa River. The 120th meridian passes within an eighth of a mile of the most northerly extremity of the lake.

References:

  • Cautley, Richard William [1873–1953], and Wheeler, Arthur Oliver [1860–1945]. Report of the Commission Appointed to Delimit the Boundary between the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia. Parts IIIA & IIIB, 1918 to 1924. From Yellowhead Pass Northerly. Ottawa: Office of the Surveyor General, 1925. Whyte Museum
  • British Columbia Geographical Names. Cecilia Lake
Also see:

Calumet Peak

Alberta. Peak
Headwaters of Calumet Creek
53.2636 N 119.0111 W — Map 083E06 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1956
Official in Canada

Named in association with Calumet Creek.

In a note in the Geographical Journal, Charles Ernest Fay [1846–1923] wrote that during the 1913 Alpine Club of Canada camp at Mount Robson, Calumet was one of five virgin summits to be occupied.

References:

  • Fay, Charles Ernest [1846–1923]. “Recent Mountaineering in the Canadian Alps.” Geographical Review, Vol. 2, No. 1 (1916):1. JSTOR

Victoria Cross Ranges

Alberta. Ranges
NW of Jasper
53 N 118.3 W — Map 083E02 — GoogleGeoHack
Name officially adopted in 1952
Topo map from Canadian Geographical Names

The Victoria Cross Ranges (52°55′N 118°18′W to 53°05′N 118°30′W) are a set of mountain ranges located to the northwest of Jasper. Of the 19 peaks contained within this range, five are named after Canadian recipients of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious decoration of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour in the presence of the enemy to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously.

The tribute to these soldiers in 1951 was made possible by the co-operation of the federal and provincial governments. However, at the time, the proposal created controversy. The issue’s resolution would bring about the creation of the Victoria Cross Ranges and an agreement between the Governments of Alberta and Canada still governs geographical naming.

Snaring Mountain
Mount Bridgland [Morrison Bridgland (not VC recipient)]
Mount Mahood
Consort Mountain
Mount Oliver
Mount Beaupré
Monarch Mountain
Pyramid Mountain
Mount McKean [George Burdon McKean, VC]
Buttress Mountain
Mount Griesbach [William Antrobus Griesbach (not VC recipient)]
Mount Kinross [Cecil John Kinross, VC]
Mount Zengel [Raphael Louis Zengel, VC]
Mount Henry [Henry A.F. MacLeod, CPR engineer]
Cairngorm
Mount Kerr [John Chipman Kerr, VC]
Emigrants Mountain
Elysium Mountain
Mount Pattison [John George Pattison, VC]

References: