Our June 2-3, 2018 tour to Anyox was one of our best as we had a couple of guests ( future story to come ) that had relatives that had lived and work in the copper mining town. This remote and hard to access ghost town has been abandoned since 1942. Even after that many years the structures that remain are like gong back into a time warp. With special permissions from the owner to visit and tour the site our guests are typically a handful of lucky ones to visit the town each year. Our group last year lucked out with blue skies and calm seas as we journeyed to this magical place. Here are some photos from last year’s tour.
We are heading back to Anyox June 8-9, 2019 for those of you that are interested in exploring one of Canada’s most unique ghost towns.
1922 Anyox Surge tank still standing after almost 100 yearsOne of the guests looking through a window of the Anyox PowerhouseGuests exploring inside the historic Anyox PowerhouseOne of the many headstones that still stand in the Anyox cemteryGuests sitting on the top deck of the boat as we cruise down Observatory inlet enroute to AnyoxChecking out the water release valves inside the Anyox damGuests checking out the side of the Anyox PowerhouseGuests photographing a lonely fire hydrant in the forestThe almost 100 year old Anyox DamAn old steam locomotive lying abandoned in the swampThe walls of the Anyox General StoreThe Anyox Coking plant and stack reaching out above the forest
We are excited to release the dates for our 2019 Adventure Tours and the brochure. Here is a snapshot of the two page brochure. Individual brochures for each tour will be out shortly.
Let us know if you have any questions about this years tours!
We are excited for the upcoming year of Adventure Tours through UNBC Continuing Studies. Every year the tours get better as we fine tune all the small details. Most tours are only delivered once a year and occasionally twice if sufficient demand well in advance of the tour date. These tours are not geared towards academic students but rather those with an interest in adventure and experiencing northern BC. The tours have a small group size of upto 10-12 guests at he most and rely heavily on guest speakers and authentic locals that share their knowledge about the places we visit. Our average age of our guests is around 60 years old and some as old as 85. We do have younger people join us as well but predominantly it is an older clientele.
I thought I would share 10 photos form last year that highlight some of the trips we did.
We watched this little grizzly for 30 min before he even knew he was being watched!Our group that toured Kitsault and Alice Arm along with the manager of the Modern day Ghost Town!One of the many cannery sites we visit on our “Canneries of the Northcoast Tour”. A great tour for those looking for unique and seldom visited sites!We use the majestic Skeena River for a couple of our tours. There is nothing like the passing through the coastal mountains on the river on a bluebird day!Very few people get a chance to go through the “Grand Canyon of the Fraser” in a jet boat and experience what the early explorers did!We find some of the nicest places on the north coast to enjoy a tasty lunch!You will not find the uniqueness of these buildings anywhere else. Buildings that are over 100 years old and still standing today! Anyox is remote and inaccessible but we can get you there.This place is a photographers dream and a place where you can go back in time!We get you up close and personal with the longest railway bridge in BC. Over 100 years old and still going strong!Guest arriving on float plane to view bears in a remote Grizzly Bear Sanctuary
Why would the word “STOLEN” be stenciled onto a light bulb!
The Mysterious Anyox “STOLEN” Light bulb
You are about to find out. The 1911-1935 Copper Smelting town of Anyox which is about 145 km north of Prince Rupert is only accessible by boat. This town was a company town owned by Granby Consolidated. They provided all the houses, electricity, sewer, water, store, transportation but one they they did not provide was “Light Bulbs”! The company provided light bulbs for the factories, equipment shops, store, offices and smelter but not for the houses. They were going through an increased number of light bulbs and soon realized that some unscrupulous residents were taking company light bulbs for their own residential use.
The company quickly came up with a plan to stop this unauthorized use.
Their plan was to contract their supplier who would stamp all the official light bulbs with the word “STOLEN” in large capital letters, as this would discourage use of them in the residences and rooming houses.”
This worked for some of the more honest residents or those who were not willing to take the shame of displaying the words “STOLEN” on their lights.
Others were not as worried, and proudly lit up their houses with the words stolen reflecting on the walls of the house.
There were even stories of some families asking their children to take a piece of emory cloth and rub the bulbs as it made for a “brighter” light while the children unknowingly removed the stigma of the stenciled “STOLEN”.
Anyox is a ghost town full of interesting stories and remnants. That is why we will be visiting this remarkable ghost town again June 2-3, 2018. Contact us for more information on making the trip with us.
The Anyox Powerhouse is always one of the highlights for guests on the “Town that got Lost” tour!. Even though a lot of the equipment inside was removed it is still a surreal experience with all the rusted iron and steel remnants providing a glimpse into the past. Amazingly a few plants and shrubs have taken root amongst the industrial wasteland, giving it an even eerier feeling.
Anyox Powerhouse Then & Now
Constructed in 1911, Powerhouse No. 1 was the heart of the mining and community operations, providing electricity for the smelter, machine shops and other mining operations, as well as the town, until the mine closed in 1936. Secondary powerhouses and substations in the mine site produced electricity for the ore-haulage railway trolleys and other equipment. Constructed of brick and steel, 50 feet wide by 180 feet long, the building’s concrete foundations are laid on solid rock. Brick for the Powerhouse was originally imported from Sidney Island. Later brick, for refurbishing the building, was likely produced at the brickworks on the Anyox site. The building is a massive, elegant structure with an unobstructed interior volume. Ten bays with curved window openings and clerestory windows along both sides of the upper portion of the roof contribute to an impressive facade. A 15-ton crane, used to move the machinery, runs the entire length of the interior of the building.
Looking down into the Anyox PowerhouseThe outside brick walls of the Anyox PowerhouseAn old Pelton Wheel inside the Anyox PowerhouseLooking through through the roof of Anyox Powerhouse
One of the highlights to the Ghost Town of Anyox is the Graveyard. It is now overgrown with mature trees but amazingly little else grows under the trees as the area suddenly opens up and is devoid of vegetation once entering the cemetery. On my first visit to Anyox when we did a reconnaissance trip to source out unique things to see fro the guests. I was with the owner of the town and it had been many years since he had been to the cemetery. He had a basic idea where it was but it still took us two hours of bushwacking to find the site. That is how seldom visited this place is. We then spent two days brushing out a path for the guests to walk into the graveyard and keep it cleared every year.
One of the first headstones you will see is that of 8 year old Wilfred Sheldon Teabo. He was a young boy who tragically drowned in the toxic waters of Fall Creek. Read the caption below from the book “The Town that got Lost” for more information on his death.
The cemetery is about one km for the ocean. The bottom historic photo show the cemetery and the faint white crosses at the base of the hill.
We still have a few spots left in our two day Anyox tour June 3-4, 2017 or June 10-11, 2017. Don’t miss an opportunity to visit one of BC’s largest towns from the early 1900’s
The gravesite of Wilfred Teabo at AnyoxCaption about Wilfred Teabo from the book the “Town that Got Lost”
Anyox cemetery crosses at the end of the streetThe Town that got lost Book
Our Two day “Anyox – The town that got Lost” tour June 3-4, 2017 and June 10-11, 2017 will visit this iconic structure that is till standing almost 100 years later. It was Canada’s tallest dam at one time and is still an amazing structure. Don’t miss your chance to be on of the few people to visit this iconic structure.
The dam was completed in 1923 and was built by hauling pallets of concrete bags up a single guauge railway line operated by electric hoists. The dam is 635 ft long and 137 ft high and 28 000 acre ft of water capacity. In 1923 before the dam was complete heavy rains caused a landslide above the dam and the debris from the slide plugged the penstocks and the water level rose to dangerous levels so much so that they had to evacuate people living in the lower parts of Anyox below. The water eventually subsided and the dam was completed.
Building the Anyox DamBuilding the Anyox DamThe Anyox Dam today!Aerial View of the Anyox Dam
On all of our trips our guest really make the trips. We have had so many interesting people participate in the tours and it has been great to get to know them over a short period. Many of them are repeat guests that are coming back for another tour the following year. We always like to to take a lot of photos on the tours for marketing purposes and many of these now include photos of guests participating in the tours. Here are some photos from last August’s Ghost Towns of Northwest BC Tour. This year’s tour is starting to fill up and will be another great tour to some of northwest BC’s most remote and inaccessible Ghost Towns.
2016 Ghost Town Guests posing in front of Kitsault signExploring the inside of the Anyox Dam2016 Ghost Town Guests in front of the Dorreen Store2016 Ghost Town Guests going into the Alice Arm School2016 Ghost Town Guests checking out the pilings at low tideEnroute to Anyox to aboard the Raincoast ExplorerChecking out Ringbolts in Kitselas CanyonGuests posing in the the Kitsault Maple Leaf PubExploring Anyox PowerhouseGuests Exploring Kitselas Historic SiteGuests waiting for the stores to open in the Kitsault MallGuests enjoying a meal at Alice Arm provided by the localsPhotographing in the Anyox CemeteryGuests paying for a bottel of water at the Kitsault Grocery storeGuests waiting for the movie to start in the Kitsault Movie theatre
The Ghost Town of Anyox has all kinds of remnants from its days as a copper mine in the early 19th century but after the town was shut down in in 1935 and a fire roared through the town in 1942 the majority of the buildings that survived were the one made of steel and concrete. A jungly forest has grown up inside and out of the remains which makes the buildings even more eerie. Here are a few of the buildings and the concrete walls that still remain. If you are looking for a unique “Off the Beaten Path” adventure then check out our “The Town That Got Lost” Anyox Exploration June 3-4, 2017 or the “Ghost Towns of Northwest BC” tour August 21-27, 2017.
Anyox Coke Plant WallForest View at AnyoxAnyox WindowAnyox Old Door
One of the highlights of visiting the Ghost Town of Anyox is the trip up to the Anyox Dam or Dam#2as the residents called it. The dam is about 4 km up a winding road that eventually drops down to the site. It is a truly awe inspiring moment when you come around a corner and see this massive concrete structure located in a small valley 120 miles north of Prince Rupert down Observatory inlet. The dam was completed in 1923 and was built by hauling pallets of concrete bags up a single guauge railway line operated by electric hoists. The dam is 635 ft long and 137 ft high and 28 000 acre ft of water capacity. In 1923 before the dam was complete heavy rains caused a landslide above the dam and the debris from the slide plugged the penstocks and the water level rose to dangerous levels so much so that they had to evacuate people living in the lower parts of Anyox below. The water eventually subsided and the dam was completed.
we will be visiting the dam on our brand new two day “Anyox – The town that got lost” tour June 3-4, 2017 and on our Ghost Towns of Northwest BC Tour August 21-17, 2017. Don’t miss your chance to be on of the few people to visit this iconic structure.
Inside the Anyox DamThe Anyox damThe top of the Anyox damGuests checking out the arches of the damPhotographing inside the Anyox DamAdmiring the Anyox damA guest photographing the architecture of the dam
