By Kendall Robertson

The Island With Many Names

Jul 3, 2018 | 4:05 PM

PRINCE GEORGE- Prince George has a rich history, going back more than 100 years, but it was the creation of the railway that shaped the way our community looks today. That railway couldn’t have been built without the help of a little island, that many call Goat Island. The first known photograph of the island was taken in the 1890’s from Lheidli Village. It was likely used by the Lheidli people for thousands of years, it was then called two names: Nooyaz, or little island, and Yun Nadet’ai, or land that sinks, as the island flooded each spring. Grand Trunk Pacific took over the island in 1913, it was clear-cut to make way for bunkhouses, storehouses, and a steam plant to help build the railway bridge. The island was known then as Railway Island and it housed 600 workers. In the 1930’s a farmer by the name of Jim Johnson owned a goat farm on the land, finally giving it the name Goat Island. During the flood of 1936 he and his goats were evacuated as it was completely submerged, which changed the landscape of the island forever. The island has shrunk significantly in size over the years due to natural erosion but it still stands between the railway bridge and the Yellowhead bridge.