Elkford (Post Office) adopted 10 June 1971 on 82J/2 at 50° 01' - 114° 55'. Incorporated as a Village municipality 16 July 1971. Elkford (Village) was increased in size 6 January 1976 by the addition of a northern portion centred around the Fording Coal minesite at 50° 11' - 114° 53'. Re-incorporated as a District Municipality 9 October 1981, called District of Elkford. Name confirmed 14 October 1988 at 50° 03' - 114° 53' (townsite portion) and 50° 11' 20" - 114° 52' 40" (minesite portion). Boundary expansion of northern/minesite portion of municipality per Order in Council 158, 5 March 2009.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Elkford Post Office was opened 16 November 1971, its name a combination of "Elk" from Elk River and "Ford" from Fording Coal Ltd: "The community of Elkford is being developed at the confluence of Boivin Creek and Elk River in the Elk Valley 25 miles north of Sparwood, by Fording Coal Ltd (a subsidiary company of Cominco) in conjunction with [their] contract to supply 45,000,000 long tons of coking coal to the Japanese steel industry..." (February 1971 letter from Regional District of East Kootenay, file C.2.53.)

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office