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Tuesday, 21 February 2012 13:56 |
Our city's name has a hotly contested history. Recent reports suggesting Prince George change it's name sparked debate in the city. Local historians say the name was a source of controversy from the very beginning. Bob Campbell of the Fraser-Fort George Regional Museum says originally Fort George was named after King George the third by Simon Fraser. He says it's a common misconception that the name Prince George was a means of continuing that history. Instead he says it's a bit more complicated. At the beginning of the 20th century, a company from Boston was designing the city. There was much discussion about the name at the time, including the Attorney General who favored the name George, while others preferred the First Nations name Lheidli, which means the meeting of the two rivers. The name George was decided on, to retain the connection to the neighbouring trading posts of Central Fort George and South Fort George. The Prince was added by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway company, because it sounded more 'musical'. Cambell disagrees with the idea that the name should change, adding "Lots of people would have wondered about Prince George as a grand name back in the rough and tumble years of the city maybe. But it's no worse than Vancouver."
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