Why Whitecourt? The history of the name and how Whitecourt came to be

What’s in a name? For people, a name is often chosen after careful consideration. Whether it is chosen to honour a loved one, to follow popular trends or, for that matter, to go against popular trends, names are usually selected for a reason. Do you know why Whitecourt is called what it is? Since 2019 is Whitecourt’s 60th anniversary, and considering the world is on the cusp of entering a new decade, it seems to be as good a time as any to share the history and the controversy.

Starting as close to the beginning as possible, the Woodland Cree Nation has called this area home for generations. They called it Sagitawah which means “the place where the rivers meet.” There are four rivers that meet in this area which led them to call it as they did. The Athabasca River, McLeod River, Sakwatemau (Eagle) River, and Beaver Creek all join up in this small corner of the province. These rivers are the reason that Whitecourt exists today because early residents were able to use them for transportation.

The area was rich in wildlife thanks to the numerous waterways which provided sustenance and this, along with the abundance of soft wood lumber for industry, was a big reason for growth. As settlers continued adding to the numbers, the Hudson’s Bay Company saw that Sagitawah provided many opportunities and in 1897 they opened a seasonal post here. If it were still standing today it would be located very close to where the Whitecourt Golf and Country Club currently sits.

The seasonal post did so well that in the early 1900s the Hudson’s Bay Company brought in a full-time agent to manage it. With a growing business and more settlers moving to the area, the need for a post office was becoming more apparent. Any mail that needed to reach settlers in Sagitawah or make its way out to the world had to be brought in from nearby Greencourt and it was Walter White who was tasked to travel back and forth to collect the mail. Though there is more than one version of the story for how Whitecourt got its name, the following story is the most common.

In 1910, when a post office was finally constructed in Sagitawah, the postmaster in Greencourt registered the community name as Whitecourt. According to the account, he named it after Walter White, and it can only be ascertained that he added “court” because of his own community’s name. However, this is where things get very interesting. Other versions of the story claim that the postmaster in Greencourt was from England and that he was setting up “courts” to remind him of home which was why he named both similarly.

It doesn’t end there. Other versions of the story include that a group of locals were tasked to select a town name and that before they could decide, they learned that the postmaster had chosen the name already, and that they were not happy about it. There is even a connection to the White House because Walter White was the son-in-law of a former Governor of Kansas and when settlers who had established themselves before the White family expressed displeasure at the name they were apparently assured that the name had nothing to do with the White family and that it was simply in memory of the White House.

In an article written by Leo Baxter in 1961, he said, “There are still a few old timers who feel they were more or less hood-winked out of the community name that they wanted.” A meeting of protest following the naming of the community resulted in no changes because some feared that if they caused a ruckus that it might interfere with their ability to get a post office. The one common thread amongst the stories is that settlers would have preferred a traditional Cree name. For the next nearly 50 years, Whitecourt grew at a rate of three per cent a year on average and survived the boom and bust. In 1959, the community was officially incorporated as a village and the census showed that Whitecourt had 986 people within the boundary. By 1971, the census showed that Whitecourt had grown substantially with 3,155 residents.

Over the last couple months, the Town of Whitecourt Facebook page has been sharing historical memories of the community to celebrate the anniversary. These memories include The Friends of Whitecourt Society which began in 1966, the same year the hospital was built, under the name the Whitecourt Ladies Hospital Auxiliary. This group was instrumental in helping to grow the community by committing to providing the hospital and patients with the support and equipment they needed. Their first fundraiser in 1966 was a bake sale and that year they raised a total of $100. In 2018, they raised $155,205 and, in total, have raised approximately $3.4 million since they first began. These funds have purchased things from furniture, toys, and supplies to big items such as heart monitors, birthing beds, ventilators, a pediatric emergency cart, and much more.

Whitecourt is a young community at only 60 years old, yet it has survived from humble beginnings to become a regional centre that supports other surrounding communities today. To learn more about Whitecourt’s interesting history, residents are invited to purchase the two local history books, Sagitawah Saga – The Story of Whitecourt and Whitecourt a History 1975-2010, both of which are available at the Town Office.