There are 2 legends of how Medicine Hat could have possibly got its name. The first; being the most notoriety, is the battle, a long time ago, between the Blackfoot and the Cree. A Medicine Man, who was evading his enemies, lost his head-dress in the South Saskatchewan River which runs through the city.
The other legend tells a tale of a river serpent who emerged from the river and instructed a Native hunter to sacrifice his wife in return for mystical powers which would embody a special hat.
