Kitsault B次元官网网址� a remote, abandoned northwestern B.C. town along the coast of the Observatory Inlet has captured the imagination of most who hear about its fascinating past and equally bizarre present.
Visitors must pass through the Nass ValleyB次元官网网址檚 alien landscape filled with breathtakingly beautiful lava beds and a drowned forest to reach Kitsault, which falls within the NisgaB次元官网网址檃 First NationB次元官网网址檚 traditional territories and is just 115 kilometres by road from Terrace.
A former mining town, KitsaultB次元官网网址檚 modern town was built by the American company Phelps Dodge during the molybdenum rush of the 1970s to house over 1,200 residents.
It was complete with a state-of-the-art recreation centre, hospital, bank, theatre, mall, post office, school and a restaurant among others.
But the town was inhabited for a very brief period after its construction completed in 1980. When the price of the silvery-white metal crashed in 1982, the mine shut down and the town was abandoned B次元官网网址� some say overnightB次元官网网址� by its residents. The last residents left town on Oct. 31, 1983, following which the modular homes were barged out and sent to Terrace, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The school was barged out and sent to Kamloops.
After that, for over a quarter of a century, no one was allowed to enter the abandoned town. In 2005, Virginia-based Indo-Canadian businessman Krishnan Suthanthiran bought the town for just under $6 million dollars and renamed the community Chandra Krishnan Kitsault, after his deceased mother.
The molybdenum mine B次元官网网址� not a part of SuthanthiranB次元官网网址檚 purchase B次元官网网址� was bought by Avanti Mining Inc, which unsuccessfully tried to revive over the next years.
Suthanthiran B次元官网网址� an engineer turned entrepreneur who graduated from Carleton University in Ottawa in 1971 and went on to found multiple biomedical companies under the umbrella of TeamBest before diversifying into real estate, entertainment and energy ventures B次元官网网址� has changed his vision for Kitsault a few times since he bought the town.
Initially, the tycoonB次元官网网址檚 plan was to revive Kitsault as the mecca for scientists, artists and freethinkers from across the globe. The money to power this vision of Kitsault would come from opening KitsaultB次元官网网址檚 doors to retreats, ecotourism, film productions and other activities.
That never materialized. Almost a decade later in 2015, Suthanthiran turned his attention toward LNG, a product that sparked a gold-rush mentality in the northwest.
Kitsault Energy was born with the vision of building a floating LNG terminal and establishing a deep-water port with Kitsault at the end of a corridor of pipelines to cater to the growing demands of the Asian market. The estimated $20-30 billion project was slated to be up and running by 2018 but has not taken off yet B次元官网网址� which Suthanthiran said mirrors the plight of most proposed LNG projects in B.C.
When asked about the reason for the delay and Kitsault EnergyB次元官网网址檚 future the 75-year-old business man said the challenges he faces are no different from the challenges other companies have faced while trying to set shop in B.C.
B次元官网网址淏ut the difference between Kitsault Energy and all the others is that the others pulled out, whereas weB次元官网网址檙e still here and we still want to do this,B次元官网网址� said Suthanthiran in a phone interview from his Virginia, U.S. office.
While he did not divulge details about the projectB次元官网网址檚 luck with investors and its present day progress, he did say that the company is still focused on developing the pipeline which would make the town an B次元官网网址渋deal location for housing a large business.B次元官网网址�
Suthanthiran also said that currently he was not really focusing on LNG but more so on crude oil and butanol, which according to him is one of the B次元官网网址渂est kept secrets.B次元官网网址� Compared to LNG, the bio-fuel is less expensive to produce, export and store at room temperature.
In his crude oil quest Suthanthiran claimed to have met with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney in Ottawa in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic halted progress on those talks.
Suthanthiran visits Kitsault only a couple times a year and has entrusted its overseeing to managers Indhu and K.U. Mathew B次元官网网址� former Terrace-based teachers.
The town is an allure for everyone who has heard about its history or seen images of immaculately preserved houses and structures. Its myth is further fuelled by non-admission.
B次元官网网址淚t is a private property and Krish considers it like his own home,B次元官网网址� said Indhu explaining why they donB次元官网网址檛 entertain as many visitors. The select few visitors who are allowed into town come in with a private tour operator from the University of Northern British Columbia, Rob Bryce who has known the couple for over a decade.
Indhu described Kitsault as a B次元官网网址減aradiseB次元官网网址� to some of the guests that BryceB次元官网网址檚 company B次元官网网址� Northern BC Jet Boat Tours B次元官网网址� brought in last month.
Her description is apt while one sits by the dock side tea house overlooking the idyllic fjord. A stoneB次元官网网址檚 throw from Kitsault along the Observatory Inlet are former copper, silver and zinc mining towns Anyox and Alice Arm which are also listed among B.C.B次元官网网址檚 famed ghost towns after they were abandoned. These ghost towns add to the aura surrounding Kitsault.
When visitors come, they are asked to remove their footwear before entering any building. But despite walking from room to room barefoot, oneB次元官网网址檚 feet are hardly soiled B次元官网网址� attesting to the meticulous work involved in preserving the town. Half a million dollars is spent on KitsaultB次元官网网址檚 maintenance every year. With houses re-roofed, lawns mowed, upholstery cleaned and carpets vacuumed, itB次元官网网址檚 almost like the town is stuck in a time loop. And it will continue to be maintained so until SuthanthiranB次元官网网址檚 vision for his town materializes .
However with his plans riding on the development of the pipeline corridor, it may be a while before the lost paradise is regained again.
