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I'd never heard of Medicine Hat before. What a strange name for a city!

graeham 11y ago
As many Western Canadian cities, it has Native origins [1]. The unusual part is that its an English translation, at least instead of an Anglicized spelling or pronunciation. Its a small city, probably about 6th in Alberta by population. Its probably most famous for sitting right on top of a lot of natural gas, immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as having "all hell for a basement" [1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Hat#Name_origins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Hat#Name_origins
- goodcanadian 11y ago
  Some other place names based on translations: Moose Jaw, Battle River Some other place names based on anglicization: Athabasca, Waskatenau, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
  - tonyarkles 11y ago
    Awesome! I grew up in Moose Jaw and now live in Saskatoon! Not too often people talk about us!
davidw 11y ago
"The west" has all kinds of interesting names. There's a "Jumpoff Joe creek" in Oregon, in addition to a "whorehouse meadow", a town called Boring, and a Donner and Blitzen river. And Oregon doesn't even have particularly 'good' names compared to other places, since most of western Oregon was settled by people who wanted to do boring things like farming, raising families, building schools and churches, and trying to stay dry. So you get more pedestrian stuff like Eugene, Springfield (the real one!), Corvallis (look Ma, latin!), Salem, Portland, and so on.
Blackthorn 11y ago
There's also a song of the same name by Son Volt.
Raphmedia 11y ago
Ontario means "sparkling" water. Québec means "where the river narrows". Ottawa means "to trade". Medecine Hat is not that weird. The untranslated name would be "Saamis" (SA-MUS).
gmfawcett 11y ago
If you're ever in Alberta, you might want also want to visit the museum at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-Smashed-In_Buffalo_Jump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-Smashed-In_Buffalo_Jump).

As many Western Canadian cities, it has Native origins [1]. The unusual part is that its an English translation, at least instead of an Anglicized spelling or pronunciation. Its a small city, probably about 6th in Alberta by population. Its probably most famous for sitting right on top of a lot of natural gas, immortalised by Rudyard Kipling as having "all hell for a basement" [1]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Hat#Name_origins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_Hat#Name_origins

goodcanadian 11y ago
Some other place names based on translations: Moose Jaw, Battle River Some other place names based on anglicization: Athabasca, Waskatenau, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
- tonyarkles 11y ago
  Awesome! I grew up in Moose Jaw and now live in Saskatoon! Not too often people talk about us!

davidw 11y ago

"The west" has all kinds of interesting names. There's a "Jumpoff Joe creek" in Oregon, in addition to a "whorehouse meadow", a town called Boring, and a Donner and Blitzen river. And Oregon doesn't even have particularly 'good' names compared to other places, since most of western Oregon was settled by people who wanted to do boring things like farming, raising families, building schools and churches, and trying to stay dry. So you get more pedestrian stuff like Eugene, Springfield (the real one!), Corvallis (look Ma, latin!), Salem, Portland, and so on.

Blackthorn 11y ago

There's also a song of the same name by Son Volt.

Raphmedia 11y ago

Ontario means "sparkling" water. Québec means "where the river narrows". Ottawa means "to trade". Medecine Hat is not that weird. The untranslated name would be "Saamis" (SA-MUS).

gmfawcett 11y ago

If you're ever in Alberta, you might want also want to visit the museum at Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-Smashed-In_Buffalo_Jump https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-Smashed-In_Buffalo_Jump).