10 Features September 12 2012 - Over the Edge GALA MUNOZ FEATURES EDITOR Whether this is your first time in the city or you've been here for the past few years, a little look into the history of the place you now call home (however reluctantly or enthusiastically) will help you gain a better perspective on this beautiful and remarkable city. To start at the very beginning, the first inhabitants ever to grace the Prince George region were the Carrier First Nations, some 13,000 years ago, who lived off the land by hunting and trapping wild animals, fishing for salmon, trout and char, and building homes out of various types of wood. Although Alexan- der Mackenzie is noted as the first non-native to make the trip across the Rocky Mountains into Central British Columbia in 1793, it wasn’t until 14 years later that a permanent fort was constructed at the junction of what was then called The Great River and the Nechako River by Simon Fraser. It was in an area called “Lheit-let” by the Lheidli T’Enneh (descendants of the Carrier people), mean- ing “the confluence of two rivers”: Fraser had passed through the area when he first paddled from Fort McLeod to Fort St. James, where he established the headquarters of the North West Company in 1806 in the territory he named New Caledonia. In 1807 Fort George became the fourth fort in Fraser's chain of trading posts in New Caledonia. Fraser named Fort George in honour of King George the Third, who by then had been the king of Great Britain for 47 years. Throughout the next hundred years, while Barkerville was seeing a boom in population and commerce due to the gold rush, and Fort St. John was reigning as the hub of the North West Company's fur trade empire, fame and fortune largely GALA MUNOZ FEATURES EDITOR A HISTORY OF PRINCE GEORGE bypassed the Fort George region. By 1909, when the first sawmill had been built by the Fort George Lumber and Navigation Company, the population of Fort George (although mainly consisting of working men) slowly increased. George Hammond, spokesperson of the Natural Resources Security Company, in an effort to convince the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway Company to include a railway station at the west end of First Avenue, invested in and constructed buildings such as the Hotel Fort George, Fort George Hall, and the Public Li- brary to promote the image of Prince George as a thriving and emergent city. Despite Hammond's failure in securing his preferred location, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway station was built in 1914 two blocks west of George Street, between Quebec and Dominion streets. With construction of the railway well underway, the region's first school was opened in 1910, followed by two small hospitals built in 1911 and 1912. As with any developing city, the quality of education and medical services was well below sufficient, and it wasn’t until the early 19605 that both had been considerably improved. With regards to social life, the hotels played a significant role in the merri- ment of settlers, railway construction workers, pre-emptors, speculators and the plain old curious. Those who had misjudged their tolerance for alcohol nightly were hauled into the “Snake Room’ behind the Hotel Northern's bar where they could sleep off the effects undisturbed. Other social and leisure activities enjoyed by the early residents of Prince George included picnicking, attending concerts and plays, skiing, boxing, curling, as well as playing hockey and baseball. A & A GOURMET REVIEW PHOTO PROVIDED BY GALA MUNOZ Like many other smaller communities, the economy of Prince George became stagnant in the period between World War | and World War Il, and it wasn’t until the 1960s that Prince George became a prosperous city once again due to the demand for lumber, as well as thanks to the construction of a pulp and paper mill. Since 1915, when the region was incorporated and the city of Fort George be- came the city of Prince George, there has existed an ongoing dispute regarding which member of British royalty was meant to be honoured when the new name was chosen. As Prince George approached the 75th anniversary of its incorporation in 1990, a group of residents from the north central-interior of the province began promoting a proposal to have a university built as a means of stimulating and maintaining the region's economic development. In 1994, UNBC was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II, with 1,500 students enrolled. The city has had its ups and downs, notably the explosion of the Lakeland Mill, being deemed the “most dangerous city” in Canada by Maclean's magazine, but also the ex- pansion of the Prince George airport runway, the opening of a new regional Cancer Centre and being picked as the host city for the 2015 Canada Winter Games. It can be said that Prince George has come a long way from its humble beginnings, and has continued to be a fantastic place to study, work and live. Located beside the Bank of Montreal on 15th and Central, A & A Gourmet is only a five minute drive or ten minute bus ride away from UNBC. Open until 8:00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, with no reservation necessary, this burger bar makes for a great socializing spot for families and students alike. With classic décor of bright red, vinyl booth seats, black and white checkered flooring, and songs such as “Rescue Me” by Aretha Franklin playing throughout your meal, the 60s throwback can be appreciated by both the nostalgic and the youthful. With a specialization, naturally, in burger and sandwich-type meals, A & A manages to add their own touch to the classic combination of meat and bun. A large selection of 100% free-range, local Black Angus beef burgers can be found on their menu, with colourful names such as the “Triple Bypass,’ which wears the nickname of the “1 Ib. triple threat,’ and the “Firehouse” for those who like their burgers hot and spicy. If beef isn’t your thing, the delicious “Mediterranean” burger with roasted red pepper, basil, mayo, feta cheese, cucumbers, purple onion, tomato, and lettuce, can be replaced with a chicken breast. Vegetarians don't fear! There are several | Over the edge.indd 10 salads to choose from that are made, or can be altered, to please your dietary choices, not to mention the veggie burger that comes with all the fixings. For those that make up the celiac or vegan percentile, there are gluten- free options on the menu for the former, but, sadly, not too many options for the vegan. That being said, the fun and laid-back atmosphere of A&A Gourmet should be appealing enough for the occasional, if not regular, dine- in experience for all. For those of us who can't go a day without something sugary (welcome to my life), the extensive selection of giant, five-dollar milkshakes should keep you inspired for many a visit. From pomegranate to chai tea spice, the forty plus milkshake flavours don’t fail to impress. Once you are finished your meal (and dessert!), make sure to check out their old-fashioned candy store with goodies such as Jawbreakers, and Pearson’s Mint Patties, located across from the dining area. Particularly appealing to the ever-constrained student budget, A & A offers a 20% student discount if you show your student ID, so now there is no good excuse for you not to try their tasty food for yourselfl PHOTO PROVIDED BY GALA MUNOZ 09/09/2012 9:26:15 PM |