Everything Yellowknife

Giant Mine #1 ghost town to see

Maclean’s has named Yellowknife’s Giant Mine Town Site as the #1 “Ghost Town” to see in Canada.

This is strange to me as so few people these days actually get to see the empty homes as they are behind locked gates. Possibly a better known NWT Ghost Town is Pine Point, NWT which was a mining town some years ago but when the mine closed down so did the town. Some Pine Point homes were transported to other communities but for the most part the town just eroded away with time. An interactive video was created of Pine Point to prolong its history.

Although many of us have never been past the gate to the small community, photographer Dave Brosha recently went in to document the area. If you click on the image below you can see more of his images. Maclean’s has this to say about the Giant Mine Town:

Giant Mine Town Site, located four kilometres north of Yellowknife, once housed the workers from the Giant Mine gold mine, which ceased operation in 2004. It was the site of a deadly bombing during a labour dispute that killed nine replacement workers in 1992, and is currently an environmental concern due to arsenic tailings. Visitors (who must seek permission to explore the site) can walk among abandoned houses, barracks and disused playgrounds.

Photo Credit: Dave Brosha

Do you remember when Giant Mine was operational and the town was inhabited? Or were you one of the few people who lived in the Giant Mine Town?

Advertisements

About the author

Kyle Thomas

Kyle grew up in Yellowknife and is a local entrepreneur, writer, baker, and Yellowknife Advocate who is addicted to learning as much as he can about the community and sharing it with anyone who'll listen. In 2009 he developed YkOnline.ca. A website all about living, working and thriving in Yellowknife for residents, newcomers, and visitors.

2 Comments

  • owner of giant mine that created all the issues is still doing buisness in canada in the minning industry and we the taxpayers are following her around with our money cleaning up her mess while she makes billions and we spend billions time to wake up and stand up people things can be done if you want them to be…..check owner of giant mine the name royal oak mines will appear owner margret (peggy) witte will appear her name is now margret kent of washington now go to tamerlane ventures and low and behold the owner of the single most clean up in canadian history is still doing buisness in our backyard making money while we are cleaning up her mess if i spill diesel in my yard the enviromenalists are there digging out the earth and taking it to a contamination site and giving me a bill that just about makes you bankrupt but if you are somebody than they just have the taxpayers pick up the costs does this make sense people….

  • I spent the summer of 1980 at what was to be a summer job at Giant mines. They were in the process of shutting down the company accommodations ( the barracks) but I was put up there, probably the last person to be let in – I had a building all to myself along with only one other guy, an old welder. The strike happened a few weeks into my stint at the main mill and I worked out the summer at the local car dealership, pumping gas, and hanging out with one of the managers sons who was getting a band off the ground. What a summer it was. Stumbling onto this post by accident sure brought a smile to my face as the old faded memories came back. Thanks! 🙂

Leave a Reply to Pavel X