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At first the town was called Elwyntown, in honour of Thomas Elwyn, the gold commissioner. However, the name did not reflect the fantastic richness of the placer deposits, and in September, 1862, it was officially named Richfield by Lieutenant H.S. Palmer of the Royal Engineers, who surveyed it.
Jul 18, 2020 · How did Canada get its name? Well, it wasn't without some trial and error first; there were many other names in the mix, ranging from Norland to Ursalia. Although government officials ultimately settled on Canada, which likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "kanata" meaning "village," they almost went in a different direction.
Richfield got its name from the fact that when the first new settlers saw the fields they thought that sense the fields had such good hay that soil had to be rich. And they figured that with such rich soil they could grow nice big gardens and sell the extra vegetables for profit.
- Overview
- Aboriginal roots
- The naming of a nation
Today, it seems impossible to imagine Canada by any other name. However, there were a number of other interesting suggestions and events leading up to the formal christening of our nation in 1867.
The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec. For lack of another name, Cartier used the word “Canada” to describe not only the village, but the entire area controlled by its chief, Donnacona.
The name was soon applied to a much larger area; maps in 1547 designated everything north of the St. Lawrence River as Canada. Cartier also called the St. Lawrence River the “rivière du Canada,” a name used until the early 1600s. By 1616, although the entire region was known as New France, the area along the great river of Canada and the Gulf of St. Lawrence was still called Canada.
Soon explorers and fur traders opened up territory to the west and to the south, and the area known as Canada grew. In the early 1700s, the name referred to all French lands in what is now the American Midwest and as far south as present-day Louisiana.
The first use of Canada as an official name came in 1791, when the Province of Quebec was divided into the colonies of Upper Canada and Lower Canada. In 1841, the two colonies were united under one name, the Province of Canada.
Leading up to the proposed confederation, a number of names were suggested for the northern half of the continent of North America, including: Albertsland, Albionora, Borealia, Britannia, Cabotia, Colonia, EfisgaFootnote 1, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior, Transatlantia, TuponiaFootnote 2, and Victorialand.
The debate was placed in perspective by Thomas D’Arcy McGee, who declared on February 9, 1865:
“I read in one newspaper not less than a dozen attempts to derive a new name. One individual chooses Tuponia and another Hochelaga as a suitable name for the new nationality. Now I ask any honourable member of this House how he would feel if he woke up some fine morning and found himself instead of a Canadian, a Tuponian or a Hochelagander.”
Fortunately for posterity, McGee’s wit and reasoning – along with common sense – prevailed, and on July 1, 1867, the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick became “one Dominion under the name of Canada.”
- Canada. The name “Canada” likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word “kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement.” In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec.
- Newfoundland and Labrador. King Henry VII of England referred to the land discovered by John Cabot in 1497 as the “New Found Launde.” It’s likely that name Labrador came from Joas Fernandez, the Azorean known as “El llavorador”, an explorer on the Corte-Real’s expedition in 1500.
- Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland”. The province was named by Sir William Alexander who was given the land by King James VI of Scotland in 1621.
- New Brunswick. This province was originally included in the area that made up Nova Scotia. It was later separated and established as a province in 1784. The name “New Brunswick” was given to the area in honour of King George III who also held the title of Duke of Brunswick, an area in Germany.
Jan 14, 2024 · Under the Constitutional Act of 1791, also called the Canada Act, the French-speaking Lower Canada (later became Quebec) and the English-dominant Upper Canada (later became Ontario) were created. This act marks the first time when the name Canada was used officially.
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Following the American Revolution and the influx of United Empire Loyalists into Quebec, the colony was split on December 26, 1791, into Upper and Lower Canada, sometime being collectively known as "The Canadas", the first time that the name "Canada" was used officially in the British regime.
