Steele (town) adopted in the 2nd Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 30 June 1900. Name changed to Fort Steele (town) 6 December 1932 on 82G/12. Identified as Fort Steele (Post Office) in the 1953 BC Gazetteer. Form of name changed to Fort Steele (community) 31 December 1982 on 82G/12. Form of name changed to Fort Steele (locality) 29 November 1984 (Ottawa file 203-2).

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

Name refers to Colonel Samuel Benfield Steele and his detachment of North West Mounted Police. This was the only fort constructed and manned by NWMP in British Columbia: following the murder of 2 miners in 1884, Steele was dispatched to the area to ensure that further violence did not break out between settlers and the displaced Indians. In 1887 the men erected a set of buildings, the outerwalls of which had few windows, and the group of buildings was soon dubbed "The Fort". Owing to its location, Fort Steele became the centre of business and social life in late 1800's with government offices and the Dominion Indian Agency. Cranbrook eventually became the business centre of the district and thereafter Fort Steele lapsed into semi-obscurity.

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

"Wild Horse" is an old name for the settlement here.

Source: Provincial Archives' Place Names File ("the Harvey File") compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions

"Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele, KCMG, CB, MVO (1849 - 1919). Sam Steele was truly a Canadian Frontier Hero, a forgotten warrior of justice and fair play, a bilingual leader in French and English and a fearless Canadian Policeman. Indians and white settlers alike recognized Steele as an excellent horseman, a crack shot on foot and on horse with pistol and rifle, and a man who was called "old smoothbore" by his fellow officers. Steele was born in 1849 near Simcoe, Ontario, into a military family where he was trained to ride, shoot and to hunt. Steele joined the Simcoe Foresters Militia in 1865 and qualified in infantry, artillery and cavalry. He first served in the 1866 Fenian Raid defense and later, in the Red River Expedition of 1870 to recapture Fort Garry from Riel. Steele joined the Northwest Mounted Police at its formation in 1873 as sergeant-major. He was commissioned in 1879 and commanded Fort Qu'Appelle to police CPR construction. Steele helped to quell the Riel Rebellion in 1885, and was promoted to superintendent. In 1887 Steele commanded the NWMP detachment sent to quell the Kootenay disturbance under Chief Isadore, and to build Fort Steele; commanded the Macleod District from 1888 to 1898. Married to Marie Elizabeth Harwood in Vaudreuil, Quebec, 1890 (3 children: Harwood, Gertrude and Flora). Commanded NWMP posts in BC and Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898-99; commanded the Strathcona's Horse during the Boer War, 1900; awarded CB in 1900, MVO in 1901; appointed chief constable of the Transvaal South Africa constabulary 1901-06; appointed colonel in the Canadian Army 1907; commanded at Calgary and then at Winnipeg. Promoted to major-general and inspector-general of Western Canada, 1914, where he raised and trained the Second Canadian Contingent and proceeded to England; appointed to the Shorncliffe Imperial Command, 1915. Retired 1918 and was created a KCMG (knighthood). Died in London, England, 1919, and was buried at Winnipeg." (© WilCum Leith, historian)

Source: included with note