Kitsault - The Town Time Forgot

Aerial View of Kitsault

People dream of buying a home along the rugged British Columbia coast. The ocean views along the many fiords are made all the more impressive thanks to the surrounding old growth forest and the majestic mountains that tower nearby. While the views and the lifestyles are priceless, the often remote homes can cost millions of dollars.

I guess that makes Krishnan Suthanthiran's 2005 purchase a real steal. For $7,000,000 not only did he get the priceless views, but he got over 90 homes, 7 apartment complexes, a shopping center, post office, bank, public swimming pools and curling rinks, a movie theatre, a modern hospital, a library, a pub, a yardworks and a large corporate dock.

Kitsault Beach

Suthanthiran, an Indian who was educated in Canada and now lives primarily in Virginia, USA, bought the entire ghost town of Kitsault. A 3.5 hour drive north of Terrace, Kitsault was once a thriving coastal community laying at the end of Observatory Inlet in a remote unpopulated region of BC tucked behind the Alaska Panhandle.

A Brief History

In 1979, U.S.-based mining conglomerate Phelps Dodge decided to aggressively mine the estimated 109 million tons of an obscure but ubiquitous metal called molybdenum known to be in the area. Mining for silver, lead, zinc and copper had been going on in the inlet, most notably in nearby Alice Arm, for much of the century. Small scale "molly" mining had gone on in Kitsault since 1967, but Phelps Dodge decided the high prices and demand warranted a full scale assault on the resource.

In order to attract workers, the company commissioned an entire town be built. Seemingly overnight a town that was probably comparable to Prince Rupert, Kitimat or Terrace at that time was constructed.

Kitsault Under Construction

Architects and engineers wanted not only to house the workers but also to create a complete social economic environment for their families. The homes were modern and fully serviced with state of the art and underground cablevision, telephone and sewage service. The roads were paved. The community was well landscaped. And every service you could find in a town much bigger was arranged for. Restaurants, banks, movie theatres, sporting complexes, libraries, schools...you name it. Estimates suggest the town cost $50,000,000 in late 1970s prices, or approximately $250,000,000 by today's equivalent.

The Kitsault Marina

Just 18 months after the town opened its doors, radical shifts in molybdenum supply and demand sent prices crashing. The mine closed in 1982 and then Kitsault itself. People moved immediately, some leaving their furniture behind in their houses. The movie theatre remains exactly as it did in 1982. Even the hospital still has some of its medical equipment intact. Only the school and the few mobile homes left Kitsault. Otherwise the town, now behind padlock, remains exactly the same. Even the hydro and electricity continues to run to this day. All the doors are unlocked. The library still has a large collection. Even the swimming pool was left filled.

Kitsault Homes

For the next 20 plus years only wandering grizzly bears, soaring bald eagles and a lonely caretaker reside in Kitsault. The caretaker has stood on guard for intruders or approved visitors. He cuts the lawns, tends to the fruit trees and keeps the inactive streets clean. He is the unofficial mayor who literally holds the keys to the city. He acts as tour guide for those who are allowed in. Yet very few people visit. Curious harbour seals, somehow knowing something is not quite right here, outnumber human visitors.

The Kitsault Library

It is not entirely clear what Suthanthiran, a very successful biomedical entrepreneur and real estate investor, plans to do with his purchase. He has acquired a film company and has talked about making films in the area. It also appears Kitsault will become an eco-tourist destination and conference center/corporate retreat.

His plans do not include capitalizing on Kitsault's ghost-town history, however.

“We're going to focus on the future,'' he told the Washington Post. “People are going to say, `Wow.' And they will forget about the past. The ghosts will be exorcised.''



Also See:

For more information, including a thorough history, historical and current video and photography, and an interesting news archive about Kitsault and its new owner, please visit Kitsault.com

For an interesting though long Internet Discussion Thread on Kitsault, including many posts of people who used to live there, visit British Columbia.com Discussion Forum