South Fort George

[1] In 1909, Nick Clark of the Northern Development Company purchased the South Fort George property from Alexander Hamilton and Joseph Thapage.

Meanwhile, Nick Clark built a sawmill and, with Russell Peden and William Cooke, started the Fort George Lumber and Navigation Company and arranged for the building of a sternwheeler for the community, the Nechacco.

The new steamer was intended to bring prospective property buyers to South Fort George and to furnish them with supplies.

The Nechacco would be the first sternwheeler to reach South Fort George from Quesnel, arriving on May 30, 1909, barely nudging the Charlotte out of the honor.

Once the community had sternwheeler service, other businesses began to arrive, such as the Bank of British North America, established in 1910, and three general stores.

Hoteliers Al Johnson and Robert Burns arrived in 1910, but wisely waited until the BC Express Company chose South Fort George as the location for their office and steamer landing.

However, Al Johnson wasted no time in replacing it and built the second Hotel Northern on Hamilton Avenue, on the corner of 3rd Street.

[13] In 1913, the new proprietors, who upgraded the interior to cater for mainly movie screenings,[14] renamed the venue as the Edison Electric Theatre.

[22] By 1916, all of the sternwheelers had been taken off the upper Fraser River until 1918 when the BX operated until she sank in the Fort George Canyon and had to be rescued by the BC Express.

[24] Today South Fort George is a residential area and home to many local businesses, including a few car dealerships.