Village of Midway Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary, British Columbia

Village (1) - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a village municipality under the provincial Municipal Act. Just N of BC-Washington boundary, W of Grand Forks, Similkameen Division Yale Land District

Mapped Location

Village of Midway: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Village of Midway

  • Feature Type: Incorporated

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Village of Midway

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
Village of Midway Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Village of Midway

References to Village of Midway that document the origin of its place name

Midway (Mining Town) adopted in the 18th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 31 March 1924, as identified in 1909 BC Gazetteer, and as labelled on BC Lands' map 1EM, 1915. Form of name changed to Midway (Post Office & Station) 6 October 1955 on 82/SW. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 25 May 1967. Midway (Village) confirmed 30 September 1969 on 82E/2.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Boundary Creek Post Office opened 1 January 1894. Name changed to Midway Post Office 1 November 1894.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

So-named because of its position halfway between Penticton and Marcus, Washington (then the nearest point south on GNR).

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

"This town, a Divisional point of the Kettle Valley Railway and for many years terminus of the Columbia & Western, is on the old Hudson's Bay and Dewdney trail, and was on the old stage route. It was always assumed to have been midway between some unknown points. Actually, when the townsite was promoted coincident with the Columbia & Western construction, 'Boundary City' was selected as the name [because] it is 1 mile from the International Boundary. The Post Office authorities would not accept the name. One of the townsite officials had just been to the World's Fair at Chicago and had been tremendously impressed with the 'Midway', and thus the town was named. (Rupert W. Haggen, BCLS, Origin of Place Names in Boundary District, 1945 manuscript, file H.1.45; confirmed by Mrs. Haggen, MLA, February 1959)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

When the townsite was laid out here in 1893, it was given the name "Boundary City." This name proved too similar to that of the nearby smelter town of Boundary Falls, so Captain R.C. Adams of Montreal, one of the owners of the townsite, changed the name the following year to Midway. He is said to have taken the name from the Midway Pleasance at the Chicago's World Fair of 1893.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
Akrigg, Helen B. and Akrigg, G.P.V; British Columbia Place Names; Sono Nis Press, Victoria 1986 /or University of British Columbia Press 1997  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Regional District of Kootenay-Boundary

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-10-01