Ghost Towns

Founded in the 1840's, Petites, Newfoundland, has been home to generations of weather-hardened souls who made their living on the sea.  By 1859, a methodist church was constructed that later became the Bethany United Church.  There were 212 people living here in 1946, and only 146 by 1956.  In October, 2003, the last remaining residents of the community were resettled.

I had the privilege of visiting the remains of this abandoned town with my father, and spent two days exploring and photographing as much as I could.

I arrived in my nice, clean, white, rented Equinox.  The windows were up, and the cool air was coming from the air conditioner.  The sun was shining, and I was loving being away from the cold and snow of Canada.  When I arrived, first at Salton City, I drove close to the beach and stopped.  I looked out over the shimmering water, turned off the engine and got out...  THE STENCH!  Nothing had prepared me for the smell.  Like seaweed and rotting fish, yet somehow much, much worse.  I looked around, noticed that some of the houses were actually occupied and thought,

As is often the case with these things, I wasn't completely sure as to the exact location of this town when I arrived.  In fact, I wasn't completely sure there was even anything left to see.  However, we were on vacation, we were in the area, give or take a few hundred kilometres, why not go take a look?

When we were close to the spot, I decided to park the truck and consider two possible directions we could begin hiking.  One seemed most likely, so I chose to eliminate the other first.  As it turns out, both were right.

Fairness requires that I give each of these towns their own, individual stories.

Goldfield, Colorado

Once a very important shipping port in the Great Lakes, and the westernmost point of the Ottawa, Arnprior and Parry Sound Railway, Depot Harbour is now little more than some concrete ruins hidden among the trees.

History: