The news that the Grand Trunk Pacific planned to build a railway through their city excited and brought thoughts of future prosperity to the inhabitants of Fort George. The city was alive and growing as the economy began to bloom. The people knew that building a railway through Fort George would colonize the northern half of the province, help exploit this region’s abundant natural resources, and put Fort George on the east-west axis.
Some, however, viewed the construction of the railway to the west as frivolous. There was, after all, already one railway to the west: the Canadian Pacific. Why build a second?
"Americans build railways to develop their country, Germans build railways for the purposes of war, but Canadians apparently just for the fun of building them" (Lauwer).
Despite the views of some people, the railway was important to the people of Fort George and area. It made the forest accessible, boosting the forest industry, which has today become this area's primary industry. The train brought food and supplies into the sawmill towns and hauled lumber out to the Prairies and throughout the United States. It also brought the mill workers into town on the weekends. It was in Fort George, the closest ‘big city,’ that they spent their pay cheques which boosted the local economy.
Did you know? Anytime they needed the engineer to stop the train (especially in an emergency) they would holler "GOOSER!"
"One time, we were on a gentle curve on the Nechako River, and I was sitting on the brakeman's seat on the engine and we came around a bend and there was a large flock of Canada geese on the river. On the steam engine you had to holler pretty hard to be heard so I turned around to the fireman and hollered 'look at all those goosers out there.' As soon as I said Gooser, the engineer hit. He stopped everything" (unknown speaker).
"The steel had arrived at last and this day would long be remembered in the history of Prince George. In spite of the bitter cold, 18 below zero, at two o'clock, more than 1,500 people turned out to witness the event. The school children from South Fort George and Central Fort George were brought in sleighs. Speeches were made…
In addition, there was a parade illustrating the various stages of the history of the town including representatives of the Indians, the Hudson Bay Company, the pioneer settlers, and the surveyors" (Runnalls). The railway was finished on April 9, 1914, and connected two miles east of Fort Fraser.
