You may be familiar with the Perron Street name, considering it is our downtown area, but have you ever wondered where the name came from? Funny enough, it has a double origin, being named after two different men. The men in question are Reverand René Alexandre Piron and Fleuri Perron, both of which contributed to the development of St. Albert in the late 1800s to early 1900s. While their names were nearly identical, they were not related to one another.
In fact, Piron was an active member of St. Albert and even donated a large church bell in 1874, the same one we use at Mission Hill today. Perron, however, was 19 years old the year the bell was donated, and not living in St. Albert.
When Perron did arrive, he became an esteemed member of the community, running a brickyard, building the Royal Hotel, and running for town council and mayor (and winning both). He was a prominent figure in the community, but he didn’t win the street name.
The street was originally called Piron Street after Reverand Piron, but the name was challenged in 1967. St. Albert City Council believed Piron to be a misspelling of the previous major of St. Albert, Fleuri Perron. As we know now, the name change (or spelling change) passed and Perron District is the thriving community today. Share this fun fact with your friends and family and keep this history alive!