Demystifying one of the most infamous regions in Canada through historical analysis.

Boozy and boisterous, the Georges—the communities of South Fort George and Fort George that ultimately became Prince George—acquired a national reputation as being seedy and dangerous. But was this notoriety true or fair?

The Notorious Georges explores how the pursuit of respectability collided with the caricatures of a riotous settlement frontier in its early years. Anxious about being marginalized by the provincial government and venture capitalists, municipal leaders blamed Indigenous and mixed-heritage people, non-preferred immigrants, and transient laborers for local crime. Jonathan Swainger combs through police and legal records, government publications, and media commentary to demonstrate that the disorder was not so different from the rest of the province, and “respectable” white residents were often to blame. This lively account tells us about more than a particular community’s identity—it sheds light on small-town disaffection in modern Canada.