A vivid and comprehensive history of the City of Prince Rupert, from
its ancient roots as a rich, multicultural trading hub between different
Indigenous Nations to its current state as an ethnically diverse
community set against the stunning natural backdrop of the Great Bear
Rainforest.Since time immemorial, rain has defined life
on Kaien Island, now known as the townsite of Prince Rupert. As the
rainiest and cloudiest city in Canada, Prince Rupert is the perfect
environment for rainbows—and the rainbow is an apt metaphor for the
city: a symbol of diversity and inclusion, a supernatural gateway
between worlds, and a universal sign of hope and calm after a storm.
From
its original Ts’mysen inhabitants to the first European explorers and
fur traders, the building of dozens of salmon canneries to the
construction of the transcontinental railway, the global upheaval of two
World Wars to decades of industrial boom and bust, Kaien Island, and
Prince Rupert, has always been a rich, multicultural trading hub that
has weathered countless storms.
By weaving together historical events illustrated by compelling archival photographs, The City of Rainbows
strives to tell the story of Prince Rupert from a modern perspective,
one that confronts the impact of colonization head-on and moves away
from a romanticized account of the development of a “pioneer” town.
Balancing the histories of Indigenous Peoples, European and Asian
settlers, and recent immigrants, this book reveals powerful, intriguing,
uncomfortable, and beautiful truths about an undoubtedly colourful city.
