"Place That Are Equally Creepy And Beautiful"
One of the more famous ghost towns in Saskatchewan is Uranium City. It was close to achieving city status and then collapsed upon the closure of the Eldorado Mine and the mass exodus of its population. Today, roughly 70 people inhabit the town in order to keep it alive.
White Otter Castle near Atikokan, Ont. is a three-storey castle by Jimmy McOuat. An eccentric hermit, he built the castle between 1903 and 1915 as a dowry for a woman he wanted to marry. In 1918, McOuat drowned while fishing and is buried next to the castle. The property remains abandoned.
Bayer’s Lake Mystery Walls in Halifax, Nova Scotia is a mystery that has stumped Nova Scotians for decades. Located near the province's capital, these fortified stonewalls are unknown in origin, abandoned by someone hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years ago. The most logical explanation that’s often used is that it could have been a military installation.
Fort San, or the Fort Qu Appelle Sanitaruim, is a former sanitorium opened in 1917 to house tuberculosis patients. A self-sustaining village, it had its own power house, gardens, livestock and more. In the 1960’s, the building was used as the Saskatchewan Summer School of the Arts then the HMCS Qu'Appelle Cadet Summer Training Centre. In the 90’s,it was re-purposed as the Echo Valley Conference Centre, which was closed down in 2004.
Just north of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories was a large gold mine discovered in 1935 by Johnny Baker. It wasn’t until 1944 that the mine’s massive gold deposits were discovered. From 1948 to 2004, the mine produced over 220,000 kgs of gold. In 2005, Miramar Giant Mine Ltd., the group responsible for maintaining the mine, ditched their duties and the Giant Mine officially became abandoned.
Val-Jalbert in Quebec, just 8km northwest of the town of Chambord, Que., was first built in 1901. Its location at the base of Ouiatchouan Falls allowed it to be a successful pulp mill for many years until it was suddenly closed in 1927 and the entire town was abandoned. All the remains are sixty well-preserved buildings.
What was once a fishing village by Smith Sound, Trinity Bay in Newfoundland from the 1880's to the 1960's is now a ghost town. At its peak, the village's population was at 157. However by the mid 60's, the population fell to 16, all who later fled to nearby counties. There are rumours that the village proved to be a hiding ground for the drug caches of local gangsters during the 80's.
The Canada Malting Complex
The Canada Malting complex in Montreal, Quebec was built in the early 1900’s and thrived for many years, outputting 250,000 lbs of malt per year. In 1980s, the factory became too small and the site was abandoned. Due to vandalism and weather, the factory now sits in a major state of disrepair, though its silo remain part of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site.
When it comes to creepy locations, certain cemeteries, churches and even cities are a given. But what about an airport? A fishing village? Or a school for that matter?
Well, take away the people, let time work its magic and even the most harmless location can become mildly terrifying once it's abandoned.
When it comes to derelict buildings, there's a wide swath of locations around the world and Canada is no exception. In between the cities, the wheat fields and Rockies are a special collection of abandoned buildings. But don't expect to find any tour guides here.
You might not even come across any electricity or running water given how long these places have been foresaken. But for all the energy and colour they lack, these places make it up with a blend of dread and beauty.
Still not sold? Just take a look at some of these photos below and see if you've got the courage to check out abandoned Canada as Halloween edges closer and closer.
