Mount Rae - Ruth Lake

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Rae, Mount 82 J/10 - Mount Rae
24-19-8-W5
50° 37' N 114° 59' W
Approximately 48 km west of Turner Valley

Dr. John Rae (1813-1893) was a Scottish explorer and surgeon to the Hudson's Bay ship in 1833. He became resident surgeon at Moose Fort in 1835. His career in exploration began in 1846 and continued until 1864 when he conducted the survey for a telegraph line from Red River Settlement to the Pacific Coast. This 3,218 m mountain was named by Sir John Hector after Dr. John Rae.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Raft Lake 74 D/8 - Gipsy Lake
36-85-1-W4
56° 25' N 110° 01' W
On Alberta-Saskatchewan border, approximately 93 km east south-east of Fort McMurray

This lake apparently takes its name from the time when surveyors used a raft to cross it. There were survey crews working in the area between 1910 and 1915.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rainbow Lake 84 L/6 - Rainbow Lake
16-107-8-W6
58° 17' N 119° 16' W
Approximately 21 km south of the Town of Rainbow Lake

According to the fiels of the Geographic Board of Canada, the name for the lake was supplied by C.B.C. Donnelly, DLS, ALS. According to his notes, this lake was called Rainbow by local Cree and Slavey because of its shape. The Slavey, Beaver and Cree have traditionally known this lake as Long Lake, in their respective languages.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rajah, The 83 E/7 - Blue Creek
29-49-4-W6
53° 16' N 118° 33' W
Approximately 53 km north-west of Jasper

The name of this 3,018 m mountain peak is the word for "king" in Hindi, an official language of India. The name was applied to the feature by R.W. Cautley of the Alberta Boundary Commission and later of the National Parks Branch.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Rat Creek 84 G/14 - Alberta
16-102-9-W5
57° 51' N 115° 25' W
Flows east north-east into Wabasca River approximately 124 km south-east of High Level

The precise origin of the name of this creek is unknown; it is likely named for the prevalence of the muskrat. The name was noted as early as 1908 by J.B. St. Cyr, DLS.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rathlin Lake 83 D/16 - Jasper
14-45-2-W6
52° 52' N 118° 11' W
Approximately 7 km west of Jasper

The name for this lake was applied in 1914 by H. Matheson, DLS. The origin of the name is unknown.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Rattlepan Creek 74 D/9 - Bunting Bay
12-89-2-W4
56° 42' N 110° 11' W
Flows north-west into Clearwater River, approximately 74 km east of Fort McMurray

The precise origin of the name of this creek is unknown. It was noted as early as 1910 in the field notes of J.N. Wallace, DLS, ALS.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Redan Mountain 83 E/1 - Snaring
11-48-2-W6
53° 08' N 118° 11' W
Approximately 27 km north north-west of Jasper

This 2,560 m mountain is situated at a bend in the ridge with steep rock walls to the east. The descriptive name was applied in 1916 by M.P. Bridgland. A redan is a military field word describing two faces forming a salient angle.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Redwillow River 83 M/3 - Wembly
7-4-70-9-W6
55° 02' N 119° 18' W
Flows south-east into Wapiti River approximately 30 km west of Grande Prairie

Named for the abundance of red willow along the feature. The name has been in use since at least 1909 when a Dominion Land Surveyor went through the area.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rennie Creek 84 J/9 - Alberta
1-111-3-W5
58° 36' N 114° 22' W
Flows south-east into Waldo Creek, approximately 161 km east north-east of High Level

Named after J. Rennie by J.R. Akins, DLS, during his survey of the 29th Baseline. Rennie was a packer on Akins' crew.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Reunion Peak 83 D/9 - Amethyst Lakes
10-42-3-W6
52° 36' N 118° 20' W
Approximately 36 km south-west of Jasper

During the Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Survey, there was a station link up with other stations located on this peak, ie: a reunion point.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Richardson Lake 74 L/6 - Richardson Lake
22-108-7-W4
58° 24' N 111° 04' W
Approximately 177 km north of Fort McMurray

Named after a member of a survey party, it appears on federal government maps as early as 1919. It was first noted as Jackfish Lake by J.R. Akins, DLS, in 1917.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Richardson River 74 L/6 - Richardson Lake
15-34-108-8-W4
58° 25' N 111° 14' W
Flows north into Athabasca River approximately 180 km north of Fort McMurray

Named after a member of J.B. McFarlane's 1911 survey crew, it appears on a federal government map of 1919. It has been identified by a Chipewyan as Whitefish River, and was noted by J.R. Akins, DLS, in 1917, as Silva Creek.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rink Lake 83 D/15 - Rainbow
25-45-5-W6
52° 54' N 118° 36' W
Approximately 34 km west of Jasper

The name of this lake was applied in 1918 by A.O. Wheeler.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Rockyford 82 P/3 Strathmore
22-26-23-W4
51° 14' N 113° 08' W
Approximately 42 km south-west of Drumheller

Rockyford was named by the First Nations peoples because the main channel of the Serviceberry Creek was too narrow and deep to cross; the Indians used the rocky ford to cross on their way to Gleichen. Later, the ranchers used the name, and in 1908, the surveyors used it for surveying the right of way to Calgary. This ford was 0.4 km south of the present townsite. Rockyford was officially named by a Mr. Beaumont, chief surveyor of the Canadian Northern Railway, in 1914.
Place Names of Alberta Volume 2: Southern Alberta by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Roddy Creek 83 E/14 - Grande Cache
18-57-8-W6
53° 55' N 119° 10' W
Flows north-east into Smoky River, approximately 5 km north north-west of Grande Cache

The name of this creek may be taken from Rod McCrimmon, a young packer and guide who was a member of the survey party for the final line of the Grand Trunk grade.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Rodney Creek 83 F/7 - Erith
19-51-8-W5
53° 25' N 116° 39' W
Flows north-west into Embarras River, approximately 23 km south-west of Edson

The creek was named in 1910 after a member of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway survey party. The name was officially approved December 3, 1957. No other information is available.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Roe River 84 N/3 - Roe River
36-117-21-W5
59° 13' N 117° 26' W
Flows north-west into Hay River, approximately 79 km north north-west of High Level

The precise origin of the name of this river is unknown but was likely named by J.R. Akins, DLS, during the 1914 survey of the area. The name is referred to in his field correspondence. Roe may refer to a person or it may refer to fish eggs which, under the name of caviar, is considered a delicacy by some.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Rowe, Mount 82 G/10 - Sage Creek
22-1-1-W5
49° 03' N 114° 03' W
Approximately 9 km west of Waterton Park, on the Alberta-BC boundary

The name Mount Rowe was officially approved March 16, 1917. The 2,452 m mountain was named after Lt V.F. Rowe, RE, who was the surveying officer for the International Boundary Commission of 1872-1876.
Place Names of Alberta Volume I Mountains, Mountain Parks and Foothills by Aphrodite Karamitsanis

Roy Gate

Joining Roy Street and Rabbit Hill Road, west of Ronning Street, Edmonton

 

Quebec-born Georges Roy (1846-1932) born in Canada East was a Dominion Land Surveyor and Edmonton's first civil servant. Roy was appointed registrar of the Edmonton-based North Alberta Land District in 1885. He came to Edmonton and worked in the Land Titles Office for 26 years.

Naming Edmonton by the City of Edmonton

Ruis Creek 84 I/15 - Ruis Creek
NE-21-107-22-W4
58° 18' N 113° 36' W
Flows south into Birch Creek, approximately 203 km east of High Level

It was named after J. Ruis, a packer on the J.R. Akins survey team, which worked in this area in the summer of 1918 along the 28th Baseline.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Russell Creek 84 F/8 - Rossbear Creek
19-96-13-W5
57° 20' N 116° 06' W
Flows north-west into Wolverine River, approximately 103 km east north-east of Manning

Named in 1915, after John Russell, DLS.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Russet Creek 84 N/5 - Russet Creek
26-119-23-W5
59° 22' N 117° 50' W
Flows south-east into Steen River, approximately 101 km north north-west of High Level

The precise origin of the name of this creek is unknown, although it may be descriptive of the reddish-brown or yellowish-brown colour of the water. The name appears in the 1915 field notes of J.R. Akins, DLS.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey

Ruth Lake 74 D/13 - Ruth Lake
16-92-10-W4
56° 58' N 111° 33' W
Approximately 29 km north north-west of Fort McMurray

After whom it is named is not known; it appears in the 1914 field notes of A.D. Griffin, DLS.
Place Names of Alberta Volume IV Northern Alberta by Merrily K. Aubrey