During the early times, the first inhabitants of the island of Almagro called this island “Guang”, which means matured bananas for the place was covered with banana plants. Several years later, a strong typhoon decimated the banana plants and the place was overrun by fast – growing talahib. In the mid – 18th century, the country was struck by a long drought. This drought was felt not only in Mindanao but throughout the Visayas. Severely hit were the provinces of Samar, Masbate, Cebu and Leyte. To avert the calamity, the settlers of the island planted drought – resistant root crops like ube, camote, corioso, bilanghoy and species of ube called cubong, tumanok, bilyacog and corot. The supply was so abundant that those root crops even reached as far as Quezon province in the north, and Bohol on the south. The inhabitants of the neighboring provinces has heard of the wonder root crops in the island that they came in bilos (local sailboats) to barter for the root crops. When questioned where they got the root crops, they pointed to the island saying “Al Milagro”. The word “Al Milagro” was later corrupted by the inhabitants to “Alimagro” and “Alimagroso”. Through time the Spanish authorities finally called the island Almagro which was adopted as the official name of the municipality at the beginning of the American regime.
