of what could only be called pure egotism, the officer in charge of the fort — Insp. Ephrem Brisebois — named the post after himself.

The name would have probably worked out better had his men not hated their leader. The decision also rankled Brisebois' superiors as he hadn't asked for permission to name the fort after himself. The senior officers took it upon themselves to change the name of the fort.

The "F" Troop of North-West Mounted Police in Calgary in 1876. (Glenbow Museum photo archives)

Fort Calgary

A year later, in 1876, the post name changed to Fort Calgary at the suggestion of Lt.-Col. James Farquharson Macleod with the North West Mounted Police. He named it after the ancestral estate of his cousins on the picturesque Scottish Isle of Mull,which he had recently visited.

Calgary had lots of different spellings in the early days — in the 1600s, Calligourie, Callagorie, and Calligory were all seen in written records. While it was first thought to be Gaelic for "clear running water," it's now generally agreed that it means "bay farm," an apt description of the original Calgary House that overlooked the ocean on the Isle of Mull.

Calgary dropped "Fort" from its name when it was incorporated a city in 1884.

Learn about the city's history with a visit to Fort Calgary in downtown Calgary. (Fort Calgary/Facebook)

CBC Calgary's special focus on life in our city during the downturn. A look at Calgary's culture, identity and what it means to be Calgarian. It's called Calgary at a Crossroads.