Bay Tree, Alberta

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Location map|Canada Alberta|lat= 55.8250|long=-119.9061|width=200|caption=Location of Bay Tree Alberta|label= Bay Tree}} '''Bay Tree''' is an unincorporated community in northern Alberta in Saddle Hills County, located on Highway 49, {{convert|100|km}} northwest of Grande Prairie.<ref name="Bay Tree">{{cite web|url=http://www.saddlehills.ab.ca/images/maps/saddleHillsCounty.gif|title=Bay Tree|publisher=Saddle Hills County|accessdate=2009-08-03|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706163936/http://www.saddlehills.ab.ca/images/maps/saddleHillsCounty.gif|archivedate=2011-07-06}}</ref>

==Etymology==

The origin of the name “Bay Tree” is generally attributed to local oral tradition. According to accounts passed down within the community, an early settler, Joshua McClellan, identified a distinctive grouping of trees located near a shallow, bay-like depression in the surrounding landscape. Early residents are said to have referred to the area informally as “The Bay Tree,” a name that reflected both the natural landform and the prominent stand of trees.

Over time, the name came into broader use and was eventually adopted for the locality itself. Although this explanation is widely accepted within the community, it is not definitively supported by early written records and remains based primarily on oral history. {{cite web |title=Alberta Geographical Names Data Base |url=https://geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/ |publisher=Natural Resources Canada |access-date=19 March 2026}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.saddlehills.ab.ca/en/index.aspx County Website]

{{Subdivisions of Alberta}} {{Coord|55|49|30|N|119|54|22|W|region:CA-AB_type:city|display=title|name=Bay Tree}}

Category:Localities in Saddle Hills County