The
PRINCE GEORGE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY
This page will lead visitors to information about early Prince
George, the Hub of the North and the Spruce Capital of the world, situated in
the interior of beautiful British Columbia, Canada. If your ancestor traveled
through, or settled in the vicinity of Prince George, you just might find
something of genealogical interest here.
Please be patient, this is a massive project and will be undertaken as time permits. If you have information to add, please pass it along so that it can be added. However, it MUST be about Prince George and/or surrounding area: early pioneers, history, geography, etc.
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THE FOUNDING OF PRINCE GEORGE
Prince George has one of the longest histories of continued white inhabitants of British Columbia. A fur trading post was established here by Simon Fraser in 1807 for the Northwest Company. This was actually the fourth post they had established in what is now British Columbia in the period 1805-07, the other three being in Fort St. James, Fort Fraser and Fort McLeod. In 1793 when Sir Alexander MacKenzie made his epic trip across Canada he came down the Fraser River but for some reason or other completely missed the junction of the Nechako. It was Fort George that Simon Fraser set out from on his famous descent of the river that now bears his name back in 1808. The transition from trading post to commercial centre was brought about by the building of the Grand Truck Pacific Railway, survey parties for which began to come into the area about 1906, with the boom period reaching its height about 1910. During that period communication with the outside was maintained by steamers down the Fraser River to Soda Creek and thence by coach to Ashcroft to connect with the Canadian Pacific Railway. No less that three town sites were developed, South Fort George fronting on the Fraser River, Fort George on the Nechako River and Central Fort George in between. Ultimately when the railway company acquired the Indian reserve and placed its town site on it, the name Prince George came to be accepted. Steel reached the Fraser River opposite Fort George on January 12, 1914 but the bridge across the river was not completed until March. The ceremony of driving the last spike in the railroad took place some distance to the west of Prince George on April 5, 1914 at Nechako crossing just east of Fraser Lake. Prince George was incorporated as a city in 1915.
NEWS ARTICLES:
Fort George/Prince George Voters Knox United Church - early marriage records Other Prince George and Area News Items Prince George/Fort George/South Fort George Firsts |
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