Medicine Hat, Alberta, February 2, 2013

Medicine HatFebruary 2, 2013

A Photo Essay by Safira Lachapelle

In Collaboration with Rory Mahony

Kris Samraj

Twelve explanations exist for exactly why the city was so named. Six of the twelve explanations have what could best be described as variations on a theme. Basically, the explanations are the same, but there are subtle differences in detail. It is extremely doubtful whether anyone can be verified as the original. Rather than explanations, legends might be more accurate, particularly if that word is taken to mean traditional stories of ostensibly historical content whose origins have been lost. Better? Yes, because it allows all to be presented as possibilities.

- Marcel M.C. Dirk, ‘But Name Will Never Hurt Me Why Medicine Hat?

Legends Behind the Naming of the City’