| Feature Type: | Community - An unincorporated populated place, generally with a population of 50 or more, and having a recognized central area that might contain a post office, store and/or community hall, etc, intended for the use of the general public in the region. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | E side Fraser River, between Sinclair Mills and Upper Fraser (localities), NE of Prince George, Cariboo Land District |
| Tags: | World War I |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 54°04'59"N, 121°50'05"W at the approximate population centre of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 93I/4 |
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Origin Notes and History:
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Dewey (Post Office & Station) adopted in the 1953 Gazetteer at 54 05 - 121 45. Name changed to Cornel Mills (Post Office) 3 May 1956 on 93NE. Name changed to McGregor (Post Office) 7 March 1966 on 93I/4, and repositioned to 54 05 - 121 50. Form of name changed to McGregor (station) 31 January 1978 on 93I/4. Form of name changed to McGregor (community) 15 July 1983 on 93I/4. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Dewey Post Office was opened 1 February 1915. Dewey (Station) and Dewey (Post Office) labelled about 1 1/2 miles apart on BC map 3A, 1915 et seq, in Lots 3115A and 3111 respectively. Dewey Post Office was closed temporarily in January 1929 according to Melvin & Topping's 1965 book The Post Offices of British Columbia. "Dewey (Post Office & Station), population 125, with school..." identified in the 1930 BC Gazetteer. "A considerable mis-sortation of mail is occurring due to similarity of Dewdney and Dewey post office names... residents requested change to Cornel, as post office is near Cornel Sawmills." (April 1956 letter from Post Office Department, file P.1.47). Dewey Post Office renamed Cornel Mills Post Office 2 July 1956. "We would like to call the community McGregor...150 people in residence now... likely will increase to 200..." (October 1965 letter from Northwood Pulp Ltd to Department of Municipal Affairs, file Mc.1.58). Advance notice that post office name would be changed provided in January 1966 letter from Post Office Department to Geographic Board. Cornel Mills Post Office renamed McGregor Post Office 11 April 1966. Post Office was closed 8 October 1970. At the time of closing, the post office was located in L3083, about 3 miles downstream from the original Dewey post office. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
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Named in association with McGregor River, in turn after the late Captain James Herrick McGregor, killed in action in World War I; prior to enlisting, McGregor did much of the exploration and survey work in the area around this townsite. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |