The St. George Hotel is valued for its association with Fanny Bendixen, who was a successful businesswoman, gold prospector and symbol of the courage and resourcefulness of women in her time. Born in France in 1820, little is known of Bendixen’s early life. She was drawn to the California gold rush where she married, and then to the Cariboo gold rush in British Columbia.

In 1871, she was listed as the proprietor of the St. George Hotel in Barkerville. Bendixen established other businesses in and around the community including two saloons.