A ghost town in British Columbia remains untouched after being completely abandoned 18 months after its establishment.
A ghost town in British Columbia, Canada, remains untouched decades after being completely abandoned.
Once a bustling community, the ghost town of Kitsault was deserted after just 18 months, leaving behind a surreal, forgotten place.
The rise and fall of Kitsault and its transformation into a time capsule.
Kitsault’s origins
Kitsault, The ghost town, located in a remote part of British Columbia, was initially built as a mining town.
In 1979, it sprang to life with the purpose of mining molybdenum, a sought-after metal.
The town’s development cost a staggering $50 million, and residents arrived with high hopes for a prosperous future.
Kitsault had a brief period of prosperity
The ghost town’s rapid growth included modern amenities.
By 1978, Kitsault boasted a hospital, shopping center, restaurants, banks, a theater, and even a post office.
Families moved into single-family homes, while singles settled into apartments.
Recreational facilities, including a pub, pool, and library, catered to the community’s entertainment needs.
The recreation centers also featured jacuzzis and saunas for added enjoyment.
The town’s website said: “In 1978 the building boom began. There was a modern hospital and a shopping centre, restaurants, banks, a theatre and a post office.
“For entertainment, there was a pub, a pool, a library and two recreation centres with jacuzzis, saunas and a theatre”.
Kitsault’s glory days were short-lived.
A sudden crash in molybdenum prices, exacerbated by the 1982 recession, led to the town’s downfall.
The once-bustling community quickly became a ghost town as residents lost jobs and moving vans streamed in to relocate families.
Within just 18 months, the town was completely abandoned, its gates padlocked.
The town’s website added: “People were out of work, and convoys of moving vans began to work their way in from Terrace. The brand new shiny town where people had just moved in full of hope and excitement was a ghost town and the big gates at the entrance to the town were padlocked.”.
Today, Kitsault remains frozen in time, locked to the public.
The only residents are a caretaker, foxes, and the occasional grizzly bear that roams the deserted streets.
“Today, the only inhabitants are a caretaker, who looks after cutting the lawns, a family of foxes and the occasional grizzly bear that wanders in to scavenge fallen fruit,” according to the website.
Despite its abandonment, the town is remarkably well-preserved. It stands as a time capsule of the rural community that once thrived there.
Kitsault, once a $50 million investment, now stands as a ghost town, untouched and abandoned for decades.
Though its residents left long ago, the town remains a fascinating relic of its brief, tumultuous history.