Prince Rupert
The port of Prince Rupert is scenically located on Kaien Island among the fiords of Canada's often rain-shrouded Pacific coast just 60 km (37 mi.) from the southern tip of Alaska. Its large ice-free natural harbor near the mouth of the Skeena soon made Prince Rupert one of Canada's
prime fishing ports, but it is also important as the terminus of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, now Canada National Railway. Grain, coal and timber are shipped out through the port, which is also the main destination of B.C. ferries, sailing between here and Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands, and along the Alaska Marine Highway. The town and its fisheries expanded considerably after the Second World War, adding paper and cellulose to its other industries, and more recently tourism as well.
The town was founded in 1906 by Charles Hays, the ambitious General Manager of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, as a northern rival to Vancouver, and the railway line was completed in 1914. During the Second World War it served as a base for the Canadian and American forces.
Downtown Prince Rupert still retains many of the buildings from its earliest years. Near the museum stands the B.C. Court House, a building of 1921 in Neo-Classic style.
The Indian Cultural Days are in June every year and feature traditional Indian dances and crafts.
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