Prince George, British Columbia

Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 86,622 in the metropolitan area.[2] It is often called the province’s “Northern Capital”[3] or sometimes the “Spruce Capital” because it is the hub city for Northern BC. It is situated at the confluence of the Fraser and Nechako rivers, and at the crossroads of Highway 16 and Highway 97.

The origins of Prince George can be traced to the North West Company fur trading post of Fort George, which was established in 1807 by Simon Fraser and named in honour of King George III.[4] The post was centred in the centuries-old homeland of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, whose very name means “people of the confluence of the two rivers.”

Throughout the 19th century, Fort George remained unchanged, and Fort St. James reigned as the main trading post and capital of the New Caledonia area. Even during the Cariboo Gold Rush, Fort George was isolated although Quesnel prospered as the Cariboo Road was built to its doorstep, making it the main staging area for the miners going to the goldfields at Barkerville. Then, when the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail was built in 1865–67, it bypassed Fort George, following the Blackwater Trail from Quesnel and continuing northwest towards Hazelton.