Prince George’s wartime past still shapes the city

“Well, during World War Two, the Canadian government decided to put a large military base here,” Mahoney said. “And they called it the heart of the Pacific defensive system.”

Mahoney explains that the camp once stretched from Central Street to Cranbrook Hill. Drill halls once stood where civilian buildings now stand. For example, the current gymnastics hall and the Kenroc building across the street were once part of the camp.

She says the landscape made Prince George a good place for training. Cranbrook Hill gave troops a clear target area, away from the small town that existed then. The base grew quickly and became a major part of the city during the war.

Mahoney also points out features that people still use every day.

“15th Avenue, for example, was so wide because they had to move a massive building from up here at the camp to downtown,” she said.

She adds that Range Road got its name because it once led to the artillery range. She also says Moore’s Meadow was used to store high explosives.

Larry Merritt, a longtime resident and local historian, remembers the marks left behind by the soldiers.

“We played up here in the 50s,” Merritt said. “There weren’t a lot of trees. There were lots of open areas. There were craters. We found bits and pieces of mortar shells.”

Merritt says the danger was real. After the war, crews and residents found live shells in the area.

“What they were worried about was finding these live shells. And they did. They found lots of live mortar shells,” he said.

That legacy goes beyond the training grounds. Merritt says that after the war, a housing shortage led people to reuse military buildings throughout the city.

“One of the big legacies of the military being here is when they left, there was a housing problem,” Merritt said.

He says old army barracks were cut in half and moved onto city lots to become homes. Contractors also salvaged windows and doors from military buildings for new construction. Some old warehouses stayed in use for decades.

For Merritt and Mahoney, this history is personal. It’s not just about the military; it’s about memories and local identity. They say people in Prince George still drive on wartime roads, pass old military buildings.

The story of Prince George’s military base didn’t end with the war. It’s still part of the city’s landscape and its memory.

by Dave Branco

Prince George’s wartime past still shapes the city

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