In 1950, the Kristjanson Brothers were offered the opportunity to operate the summer Whitefish Station at Georges Island on behalf of Booth Fisheries. Georges Island is in the North basin of Lake Winnipeg, approximately 15 miles from the East shore and 200 miles north of Gimli.

Georges is located in the middle of some of the best whitefish fishing grounds on the Lake. Many fish companies tried to establish stations there. This was difficult, however, as there was no protection from the incessant wind. After lobbying for a harbour for more than 10 years, the Federal Government finally relented. In the early ‘20s, the granite ridge was blasted out to create a channel and the swamp was dredged to accommodate commercial boats.

After the harbour was created, four fish stations were built on the island: Bjornson Brothers of Riverton, Gimli Fish, Canadian Fish of Hnausa and Booth Fish of Winnipeg. The harbour was soon home to approximately 35 sailboat fishing vessels which were eventually replaced by the more modern gas boats. Each boat had a four-man crew. When you add in shore personnel, including cooks, helpers and management, the island boasted about 150 people during the June 1 to August 1 season.

I was 14 in 1950, and anxious to be a part of the new venture. As soon as school was out in late June, I boarded the M.S. Goldfield for the 24-hour trip to Georges. The captain and crew knew my family well and decided to play a trick on me. (To learn about the trick, see my earlier story, “Rite of Passage”).  Our station had 10 boats. In addition to the fishermen, we had six shore hands, three cooks and a Station Manager. I joined older brother Robert as shore hand and was quickly brought up to speed. Our job was to loosen large blocks of ice in the icehouse and send them down a chute to the crusher. The crushed ice was layered on the catch which was then stored in the cooler for the twice weekly pickup to Selkirk. We had many other tasks to help the operation run smoothly. I was to come back for four more enjoyable summers.

In 1969, the Federal Government panicked over a false mercury pollution scare. The Lake, which was the livelihood of so many families, was shut down for a year as the government over-reacted. The baseless mercury scare passed quickly and the Lake re-opened the following year. But, the number of licenses was dramatically reduced and a new Federal Fish Marketing Board took over. Virtually overnight, all of the fish companies were eliminated and the Marketing Board became the sole buyer. Only a few stations were to remain and the rest of the stations were to be bulldozed down.

In 1973, Georges was still mostly intact and running with skeleton staff but it was scheduled for demolition at the end of the season. Robert, who was fishing at Georges, contacted me to come and see the place before it disappeared. I contacted the Captain of the Goldfield, an old family friend Victor Sigurdson, to arrange passage to Georges and the return trip three days later. (No pranks on me this time.)

They say you can never go home again. The sight that greeted me as we landed at Georges collided hard with my memories of a lively place, filled with possibility and adventure. The overlay of my memory with what remained was jarring. Lifeless, abandoned buildings, slowly being reclaimed by the bush. No hustle and bustle, just quiet. An ice machine replaced the iconic icehouse and the whole place had the feeling of something that was coming to an end.

My shore visit and reminiscing was to be short lived – as usual, there was work to do. The Marketing Board had received an order from France for 5000 pounds of dressed jackfish. They had to be 15 to 20 pounds with their ugly head attached. The Marketing Board contacted Robert to fill the order and he knew just where to go to get that done.

The Reindeer Islands lie 40 miles southwest of Georges near the West Shore of the Lake. The area was a known haunt of these fierce fighting fish. So much so, that a fishing camp catering to American sports fishermen was located on the mainland. I boarded Robert’s boat, joining long time friend Arnold Harper, nephew Chris, and Helgi Jones of Hecla Island fame, who was also visiting. The four-hour trip was uneventful and on arrival we set to work using 5-inch nylon nets. We immediately started hauling in these prehistoric monsters. What a job getting them untangled. Many still had lures attached to their jaws from when they broke the lines of the sports fishermen. We filled our quota, completed the arduous task of dressing our catch and stored it in ice in the hold.  We rounded out our trip by lifting previously set whitefish nets. Then as a group we feasted on a gift of the Fishing Gods - whitefish livers cooked in butter. Absolute heaven.

Today, the harbour at Georges is still there, providing a sheltered resting place for sailboats and pleasure craft to pull in and relax as they tour the Lake on a sunny afternoon. There is a modern packing house and a few freezers if needed, a small echo of the grand old Stations. The lighthouse is still there - now automated - and those who make their living on the Lake know that Georges still stands ready to provide safe harbour whenever Lake Winnipeg decides to whip up one of her infamous storms.

Ken Kristjanson
May 2022