| Summary: | On verso of image: Prince Ruper, BC. A. Curtis print. 29003 Filed in British Columbia--Prince Rupert Prince Rupert was the son of Frederick of Bohemia and Queen Elizabeth He was the son of Frederick V, King of Bohemia and Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of King James I of England. He was the most talented Royalist commander of the English Civil War (1642-51) and became the first governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1670. Born from the vision of Charles Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, Prince Rupert was chosen as the western terminus of Canada’s second transcontinental railroad . Incorporated in 1910, British Columbia’s first planned city was to be a showcase for Hays’ ventures and was to rival the port of Vancouver. Plans were well underway when Hays, returning from a financing trip in England, was invited aboard the RMS Titanic. Hays’ dream for Prince Rupert has not been fully realized. With the death of Hays, the advent of the First World War, and the ending of the rail era the city’s fortunes turned from railroads to fishing. The Tsimshian had always harvested the resources of the sea and by the late 1800’s the area had also become home to a large number of cannery villages, hence the transition from rail to fish was a natural one. Salmon, halibut and herring fisheries have all been economic mainstays for the north coast ever since. During WWII the city served both Canada and the United States as a strategic military post. The city was a beehive of activity as workers built China Coasters, minesweepers, a seaplane base, a military hospital and a road through to Terrace. An estimated 150,000 Canadian and US troops passed through the city. Although not yet developed there are still many reminders of the war effort around the city. Since the war years Prince Rupert has continued to diversify. Pulp and forestry have been key elements of the city since the 1960’s and the port facilities continue to expand. As a north coast transportation hub and a great sport fishing destination tourism has long been an integral part of the city. And with new tourism products being developed all the time, the city optimistically prepares for the future while proudly remembering its past.
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