On Missing the Obvious

When I was growing up it took me way too long to realize that Fort William was named that because the location of the North-West Company fort was in that city.

I never realized that because the Fort William Historical Park is nowhere near there. In a location that makes no sense for a trading post.

And because Fort William was a North-West Company trading post, their big corporate rival the Hudson's Bay Company never opened one of their big stores in Thunder Bay. I don't know for sure, but I have always assumed it is because of a very longstanding corporate grudge.

Well, the HBC is basically dead now. So they can just suck it.

Similarly, I never realized that Port Arthur was named that way because the port is there.

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