8 places in Alberta with names people often mispronounce

Alberta is packed with towns, cities, and landmarks with rich histories, and some of them have names that leave outsiders either guessing or saying them completely wrong.

From Cree place names to French fur-trading terms, here are eight Alberta locations that people often mispronounce:

Namao

It isn’t Na-mow, but Na-mayo. This hamlet, 20 km north of Edmonton, takes its name from the Cree word for sturgeon. The post office opened in 1982 near the Sturgeon River, but outsiders often have trouble knowing how to say it.

Calgary

Locals say Cal-gree, not Cal-gary. The city gets its name from a Scottish castle (Gaelic for “beach of the meadow”), chosen by Colonel James McLeod after a memorable trip to Scotland.

Maligne Lake

Pronounced Ma-leen and rhymes with clean, not Ma-line on Ma-ling. First visited by explorer Mary Schaffer in 1908, Maligne, meaning “wicked” in French, was named after the strong currents of the Maligne River, which feeds the lake.

Waskatenau

It’s not Was-ka-ten-ow, but “Was-et-na”. The Cree name means “opening in the banks,” describing the way the Waskatenau Creek flows into the North Saskatchewan River. The post office opened in 1919, and the village was incorporated in 1932.

Beiseker

It’s Bai-se-ker, think “bicycle” to remember. Named after American businessman Thomas Beiseker, who was a part of settling the area in the early 1900s and co-founded the Alberta Pacific Grain Company.

Grande Cache

Pronounced like Grand Cash, not Grand Cachey or Cash-ay. The hamlet was named after a French fur trader’s grande cache, or “large hiding place” for goods.

Wetaskiwin

We-tas-ki-win, not Wuh-tass-kwin. Meaning “place of peace” in Cree. Father Albert Lacombe named the town after a historic peace pipe meeting between the Cree and Siksika nations around 1860. It was incorporated as a city in 1906.

Falher

Pronounced Fuh-lair, not Fal-her. Father Constant Falher, an Oblate priest who learned Cree and spent decades in northern Alberta, founded the mission St. Jean Baptiste de Falher. He also served as principal at St. Bruno’s and St. Bernard’s Indian Residential Schools.