On the north coast of British Columbia in Canada, where the Alaskan border is closer than the nearest town, lies a mysterious hidden place, accessible only by a long arduous gravel road behind a locked gate. Ninety-four homes, two hundred apartments, a hospital, shopping mall, Town & Country restaurant, movie theatre, sports centre, a Royal Bank; all the amenities you could possibly need in this remote part of the world await behind the towering mountains. The only thing missing are the people. Welcome to Kitsault, BC.
Kitsault, British Columbia was founded and built by the U.S. mining conglomerate, Phelps Dodge in 1979.
The town was built to sustain a mining operation for Molybdenum, which is a metal used in steel production.
At its peak the town housed over 1,200 residents, and had a hospital, a sports center, a theater, a grocery store with the promise of growth and prosperity.
Only 18 months after the town was opened, the price of molybdenum crashed and residents were forced to leave.
Phelps Dodge purchased the homes back from the residents and asked them to leave. Some were forcefully removed from their new homes, and the once booming town was seemingly closed over night.
The books were even left on the shelves of the library.
After the last person left the town, it was completely vacant however, somebody left the power on. The power has been on for nearly 30 years and the town sits very well preserved waiting for its residents to return.
Due to the lack of funds, people only were able to pack their personal belongings. Everything else was left behind.
Everything is covered in late 1970’s decor and the names of the champions are still written in chalk on a board in the sports center.
Kitsault has 94 homes, 200 apartments, a hospital, a shopping mall, a movie theater, a town and country restaurant and a sports center.
All the homes are completely vacant.
Photographer Chad Grahm is the only one in the town on this photo shoot.
The old refining plant that sparked the construction of this town sits empty and unproductive.
bs, there is one of those little satellite dishes on house
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that when I saw that little dish, I knew something wasn't quite right with this story. Regardless if the power was left on, someone is mowing the lawns and maintaining this perfectly. None of those light bulbs burned out either? Things are too well taken care of to have been abandoned for that long.
ReplyDeleteThe pool is full and crystal clear. There is at least one person still living there.
ReplyDeleteHow many homeless people are there in the United States?
ReplyDeleteWe can't do anything to help them right?
Not one thing is possible because America is not a, "can-do," nation we are country of failures who fail in everything, have no imagination, no drive or determination and no ethics. No one can see any way to make this ghost town productive again right? Completely impossible, don't bother, the mind of man is useless when it comes to problems involving the poor.
FYI: There are more than six hundred thousand known homeless people right now.