Local Journalism Initiative
Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative, The Northern View
Prince Rupert’s Blair Mirau has received accolades for his book, The City of Rainbows: A Colourful History of Prince Rupert, at the 40th Annual Jeanne Clarke Local History Awards in Prince George.
The event, organized by the Prince George Public Library, welcomed more than 150 attendees and talented creators at the Prince George Civic Centre on Feb. 23.
The competition included two categories, both dedicated to recognizing individuals and groups for their efforts in preserving local history in northern BC.
“Prince Rupert is a really unique microcosm of multicultural diversity that is a positive reflection of the Canadian example.”
Blair Mirau, author of The City of Rainbows: A Colourful History of Prince Rupert
The Publication Award, bagged by Mirau, faced tough competition from seven other finalists representing books about their communities.
“Prince Rupert is a really unique microcosm of multicultural diversity that is a positive reflection of the Canadian example,” said Mirau in an interview with The Northern View when he launched his book in 2024.
“While the old cliched pioneering narrative of Prince Rupert has been told countless times, it glosses over some seriously problematic developments that still shape Prince Rupert today.”
Blair Mirau, author of The City of Rainbows: A Colourful History of Prince Rupert
Born and raised in the rainy city, Mirau is a third-generation Rupertite who also served on the city council for two terms from 2014 to 2022.
“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 a fitting metaphor of the city: A symbol of diversity and inclusion, a supernatural gateway between worlds, and a universal sign of hope and calm after a storm,” says the summary of the book.
“While the old cliched pioneering narrative of Prince Rupert has been told countless times, it glosses over some seriously problematic developments that still shape Prince Rupert today,” said Mirau.
He added many accounts ignore events that were crucially important before the official founding of Prince Rupert, such as the industrial salmon canning industry at Port Essington, the arrival of missionaries to Metlakatla, and the earliest European explorers and fur traders at Fort Simpson.
“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,” stated the library in a recent press release.
Other noteworthy books that competed with Mirau’s in this category included Gold in the Mountains: Stories of Prospecting & Mining in the Rosswood and Kitsumkalum Lake Region of British Columbia, compiled by The Terrace Regional Historical Society.
Other finalists were Lha Yudit’ih We Always Find a Way: Bringing the Tŝilhqot’in Title Case Home by Lorraine Weir with Chief Roger William; The Wild Horses of the Chilcotin: Their History and Future by Wayne McCrory; and Gumboot Guys: Nautical Adventures on British Columbia’s North Coast, edited by Lou Allison and compiled by Jane Wilde.
Joyce Helweg’s Sleeping With Horses: a Twenty-Year Collection of Horse Packing Stories Through BC’s Remote Wilderness, Gold Mines and Grizzly Years, along with Marion McKinnon Crook’s Always on Call: Adventures in Nursing, Ranching, and Rural Living, were also noted, as well as, Reflections: Interviews of School District #57 (Prince George) Retired Educators, edited by Kris Nellis.
The Service Award was bestowed on the late Chuck Chin, a beloved figure in Prince George for his extraordinary talent for capturing the essence of the community through his photography.
The Jeanne Clarke Local History Award is a prestigious regional honour established by the Library Board in 1985 to commemorate former Library Board Chair, Jeanne Clarke, a founding member of the Prince George Public Library’s Local History Committee. She played a vital role in creating the library’s local history collection.
