Abandoned BC: Ocean Falls
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- čas přidán 19. 06. 2019
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Ocean Falls was a booming pulp and paper mill town on the coast of BC, accessible only by boat or float plane. This mini doc explores the current state of the streets and remaining buildings in Ocean Falls, previously built and owned by Crown Zellerbach. Experience nature reclaiming this interesting story of history in British Columbia.
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Video and editing by Luke Gibson.
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I worked there as a cook in the hotel in 79 just as they were closing it down . I played music in the legion and I played a wedding in the blue room at the hotel. I was 20 years old at the time . One of the best times of my life.
I bet!
Precious memories.... Thanks for sharing your story.
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I was dumb forgot my password. I would appreciate any tips you can give me
@Maximilian Santiago instablaster =)
Worked there briefly in early 70’s as a millwright. I lived in the Martin Inn as a volunteer fireman, until such time my wife came and joined me. Then we rented an apartment. It was a true experience. I met some great people, including the lovely Hugh and Mae McGown.
I was born there and we were one of the first families to have a new house in Martin Valley.
Wow!! That’s awesome that you were a part of that. Thanks for sharing
Arriving there in 1958 and leaving in 1972. I worked at the Martin Inn as a Meal runner/pot washer when I was fifteen (fifty years ago). In 1952 the Martin Inn was the second largest hotel in B.C.. The Bowling Alley was located in the Big Hall back then. Have many fond memories. Grade nine was in the hotel whilst the new school was being erected. Living in Ocean Falls was a special unique experience. There were so many clubs: skydiving, scuba, ceramics, photography (the darkroom was in the hotel) and many more. Link lake was great for recreation and trout fishing as were all the near by lakes. The place is so special to so many. The video is a little sad though.
Thanks for sharing a few memories, Bernard. At least you got to experience it when it was at it's best!
We lived here from 66 to 71 -- I learned to read in the Cypress Apartments (shows up in the first 14s and again later). Dad was in the Instrument Shop, with a year in the Steam Plant during cutbacks... The days were too short for my Mom to really enjoy in winter but it was my home 10 months out of the year from age 3 to 9. Sad to see it go but the economics moved on -- and I'm glad the power is going to Namu and Bella Bella. The dam was built in a hurry one summer and returning coastal folks lost out on the harvest from a verdant valley that was demoted to the floor of Link Lake -- where I caught my first fish, etc. etc.
My Dad worked at Ocean falls for years , in meny Jobs at the mill and the loading of Paper onto ships ... its a magical place...
Very interesting video . Kind of sad what happens when the main employer leaves a town and the town is not able to reinvent itself. This would be an idealistic place to have a resort . The views there where awesome.
In 1973 I had spent 3 days there, because the Beaver plane bound for Port Hardy could not takeoff
due to the foggy weather. That time, it was already a dying town. BC was always famous for one industry only company towns. Boom and bust like Thasis, and many others.
I was already excited to go visit here at some point. Now I'm even more stoked
Lived in Martin Valley in the early 50's: panabode house next to the graveyard. Our family moved to Vancouver in 1957. Early childhood memories are still vivid. One day, the RCMP came out and shot a black bear that was trying to scratch into our neighbor's door across the street. On a rainy day - it rained a lot - we got news of a tragedy where a liitle girl our age drowned when a canoe tipped over in the bay. The survivors who were in the canoe, must still be hurting if they're still alive. My heart still aches for them. All of us children at Martin Valley were a bit wild. I remember chasing a yearling bear down the middle of the street with another kid and we felt unstoppable with our makeshift bows and arrows that wouldn't have punctured a milk carton. Who remembers the hand crank telephones. Stand on a box when it rings, pick up the earphone a quiet as you can and listen to the party line talk without breathing too loud. Nobody was fooled 😀. Thanks for video. Brought back a few memories it did.
I was born in Cumberland an i remember so much of what you are saying.. Beautiful memories..
Story is key and I think you’re very talented at telling one! New to your channel, keep up the good work brotha 🙌🏼
Thanks Anthony!
Another great video. Thanks for posting it. I lived in Ocean Falls from 1974 up until the mill closed in 1980. Had some of the best times of my life there. Pretty sad sight nowadays though, but no doubt still an amazing place to visit. I especially like the old hotel scenes. The Blue Room was host to some legendary parties and the bowling alley supported a very active league.
My inlaws lived and my wife was born there. My father in law escaped the horrors of the second world war to Ocean Falls. My mother in law was his pen friend from England. My father in law before he passed said with a tear in his eye "It was the happiest time of his life". It was paradise where you could have a family, a living and community after Europe in the 40s. We spread his ashes from one end of town to the other. The spirit of this town only now is starting to fade.
My grandparents lived there. Untill WW2 broke out. My grandfather left for Europe and my grandmother went to her parents in Richmond. They never went back. Some family stayed that became Olympic swimmers. Last time I was there the bowling alley was flooded. Was a beautiful sunny and warm day in July 2013.
I went to high school in Bremerton Washington. Much of the downtown has been abandoned and torn down. My Jr. High burned and is now a parking lot. My high school was rebuilt and renamed. The house I lived in is a parking lot. I dread going to Bremerton as an adult, too many ghosts, too many memories. I can only imagine how these guys must feel.
My uncle worked there at the mill in the early 70's, he quite liked it, had some wild stories, one time he had a wicked toothache, a back molar I think and the only dentist was out of town so he got good and drunk and pulled it out with a pair of pliers, after the dentist got back he told my uncle that he did a great job..lol Now I get an idea what is was like, shame that the mill and the town couldn't stay afloat, thanks for the nice documentary !
Thank you so much for making this video! I grew up here, always spent my summers here and I haven't been here in over 10 years, and I've been missing it and just seeing this video made my day!
Thanks Dawn! You are part of a unique group, people who are from Ocean Falls!
Also lived there for a couple years. My time there was in the 70s. Do you remember the annual town clean up with the Killer Whales, Barracuda and Shark teams?
I went there with my parents my mothers sister worked there, brings back memories, remember near the end when walking down path to the store, be a great site for a movie shoot,
Very well made short movie. So cool!
Thank you Luke for this video. I am an eight year Newby to BC and thoroughly enjoy your posts, particularly those about industrial archeology. I did smile when I saw the old Gestetner copying machine, as a young Police Officer in the UK back in the early sixties I used one of those and the smell of the fluid was wonderful. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the comment Tudor! It's great to hear little anecdotes like yours about the Gestetner, haha
Thanks for sharing this amazing place! Great editing and camera work
"What humans abandon, nature reclaims - it's only a matter of time." A kind of twilight before Ocean Falls finally gives up its ghosts and shimmers away. A beautiful and haunting place, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Todd!
Looked at buying Nascall Hot Springs back in 2000, A Gorgeous place and the Scenery from the Hot Spring Tubs was Spectacular, BC Ferries would make stops in there, If you requested it up ahead of time, I Also another cool place in BC, is the The Old Marble Quarry near Meadow Creek. Plus some of the old Canneries up Rivers Inlet on the Southside, and More, If you ever want to chat about these, let me know, I have covered a great deal of the province, especially the West Coast. Love your channel, you do a great job! Cheers
My mother worked at Crown Zellerbach sites including two years here; met my dad later at the Prince Rupert BC site.
This is one of the best videos of Ocean Falls I've seen. I lived there as a teenager in the 90's in the big green house you showed. Now I want to go back for a visit. I loved the way you showed it's beauty, thank you.
Ah, cool, thanks for watching!
I think that office machine was a mimeograph, (an old school xerox)I remember as a young boy smelling the paper as the teacher handed them out....
I used the Gestetner at my first job out of high school. You first had to type your letter onto special paper that basically punched out each letter, then you filled a container with ink, affixed your letter to the machine and then turned the handle to print copies. It was a messy job and a real pain to fix if you made a typo. Worked like a smaller version of newspaper printing.
Yep, that's what I thought. My mom was a teacher, and when I was little (1968 ish) I remember hand cranking one of those for her in the school office, to produce the next days assignments. They produced copies with purplish text on newsprint like paper.
Love the sound track dude!
Thanks!
Hey! This was a phenomenal watch, very well put together. I really enjoyed seeing these parts of our great nation that few get to really experience.
Thanks Nico!
pretty cool video Luke! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for watching Kevin!
The town had a good swimming pool and produced some very competitive swimmers.
I have read a little bit about this community, but I have never seen any pictures, etc. This is a great video, and the comments even moreso.
it is so cool to see the elevator at the apartment building open. it is like the last person out left the door open and turned off the power
Such an interesting story!!
Ya, definitely!
This was beautiful
I’ve been looking for a channel like this for so long. Ocean Falls is stunning, i need to make the journey up north !!
Thanks Alexandra, I'm stoked you like it!
I have never even HEARD of this place, and I was born and raised here. That is crazy, thanks for the spotlight on this place, very cool :)
Excellent ! Thanks for the vid. It's on my bucket list to walk those deserted buildings!
Thanks for watching, Harry!
I visited Ocean Falls when I was 6 or 7, in 1954 or 55 coming from another remote area, Tahsis. I don't remember a lot about the visit but have never forgotten the huge steep mountains that surrounded us as the boat came into the dock and how the town seemed squeezed in between them. It seemed like a magical place. I've also known people who worked there a long time ago. Thanks for this video.
Thanks Maggie!
Music is dope.
The dog is the REAL star!😍😍😍😍
haha, she definitely is!
very cool - thanks
Best video of the series, great job man
Thanks Carlos!
Sad, once a lovely, thriving town.
Beautiful video, didn't want it to end
Thanks Maria!
great vid thanks need more of your great border collie dog
Haha thanks! She is in almost every video I make!
@@lifeofluke now i found you ,been watching lots more .keep up the great work ,many thanks
excellent work Luke!
Thanks Pawan!
My mother worked there 2 years in late 1940s, then moved to Prince Rupert up north in BC (half the rain of O. Falls, *only* 100 inches a year!) It moves me to imagine her dancing and bowling in the hotel.
Love this! I need to make a trip
Another Great video, it's amazing the state of decay in only about 40 years the forest starts to reclaim the area pretty fast
Thanks Jerry! Ya, it really doesn't take long for nature to do its thing
Nice cinematography.... very cool.
Takkakaw Falls o on the turn off from the highway is a abandoned resort or hotel.... always wondered what used to be there.
Interesting, maybe that is worth checking out!
Ocean Falls wouldn't look out of place in the Fallout Universe!
Absolutely!
Even the name sounds like fallout
You made that very interesting thank you 👍
I was there once in the the sixties and appreciate you bringing me up to date. Thanks Luke for a great video.
Thanks for watching, Bill!
As usual. Great video. The greenery helps a lot when you are at home at this time (corona time) . Boy would love to visit Canada just have a look at all these places .
When I was in Grad school, I had a classmate from Ocean Falls (this was about 15 years ago). She told me then that “it doesn’t exist anymore.” I always wondered what it looked like. Thanks for this video!
Thanks CJ, send her this video to prove it still exists!
seriously, you deserve more subs . Love the way you made this!
Thanks Yul!
I went here about 5 years ago, gorgeous place. The homes still had so much in them, dentures, comics, even food. One thing I remember is that the hotel still had Christmas decorations up. Really cool to see how it’s aged since then!
super lush video broski!
Thank you sir!
One of the best parts of this channel is all the people who have personal connections to the old towns and infrastructure, showing up in the comments to reminisce.
I worked at the Hatchery across the bridge next to the power station for 5 years. It is so beautiful there. I regret not exploring the abandoned buildings more while I was there. I couldn't help but feel in danger in there haha. silly I know. Up on Link lake at the top of the dam is also very beautiful if you boat around the corner!
Your videos are awesome sir I had to subscribe
I am really enjoying your channel. I like how you keep your videos short but still to a degree where the watcher gets their "money's worth" like you walk away from video learning and getting to see what you see and know.
A couple of things you could have mentioned: 1) only accessible by boat or float plane, 2) some of the highest rainfall on the BC coast. Other wise, good stuff. I love to go there to photograph in b&w
I thought the fact that I arrived on the ferry made it clear that you can't drive to Ocean Falls
Great shots
Thanks Jonathan!
Destination Adventure did a bid here too, different perspective.
Should make it an exclusive resort town for wealthy people. It's a really nice spot.
it is a great ferry trip. I would highly recommend it to anyone
Same here!
Love the videos, my friend. Have you thought about featuring Tranquille, or Sandon?
Would love to get involved.
Thanks Denshay! I want to make a video about Tranquille but since it is privately owned and not open to the public that is obstructing me. I do hope to see it before they knock it down for new development. I did visit Sandon and make a video a few years back.
I live in kamloops and the nature walk across from tranquille has a concept drawing of developments. The sign is new so big plans.....gotta see it before its gone
Wow, I love what you're doing and I bet your dog loves it too haha
She does 100%!
Great video
Thanks Joel!
Only discovered your channel a week or two, and I enjoy it very much. Stay safe and keep up the good work, which I doubt feels like work to you, lol. Where you there in June or earlier, still looks pretty cold. Oh, thought I'd mention, look out for asbestos and lead paint in those old buildings.
Thanks, I will! Yes this was in June which is still has fairly cool temps
Maybe you did this one but Sandon was cool for me and my family to check out. Largest American settlement in Canada at one time.
A tragic loss of an outstanding resource that could have served the province well. Housing for homeless people. A rehab facility. A retirement community for people unable to pay the million dollar prices charged for houses in much of BC. An existing power plant. Ocean access for fishing. A mild climate. Abandoning it like this was - short sighted.
wicked video Luke 👍🏻 you should go check out kitsault and make a video about that place
Awesome channel man, super underrated! Have you ever been to Kitsault?
Thanks! No I haven't, but I'd love to, it's on the list!
@@lifeofluke So I just found this new found love for abandoned places, but heard of Kitsault back in high school and I have just done a bit more digging into it and apparently it sold it 2005?!
@@niceshot4563 Ya apparently it is privately owned and permission is required to visit. I don't know all about it though
Great video! My father just happens to own the old hospital which was Kimsquit Lodge before that.
Thanks Brannagh! Do you visit Ocean Falls, then?
@@lifeofluke I go down there every summer
@@brannaghphillips1699 Awesome
@@BeeCharmer880 I don't care if you doubt me or not
Pretty cool to see the dam pretty much dumping into the inlet
i lived there as a child from 52-56 it was amazing heated sidewalks steam from mill heated the buildings had its own hrdro electric plant and dam
Last year we went in Sadon bc abandon mining of silver & gold too.mostly mining is beautiful views but so sad nk body live already.
Luke, how long did you stay for and did you just take a ferry back? Im trying to plan a trip
yes, we took the ferry there and back from Bella Coola and staying over in Ocean Falls one night.
Nature surely takes control in no time.
Absolutely
Watched an interview with an old guy who lived there back in the day. Back when the Martin hotel became defunct and abandoned, he and some friends removed dozens of working refrigerators and sold them for a tidy profit.
There is much more to this story. Presently, what does the hydroelectric dam provide power to? There is something going on there. There buildings there without peeling paint.
Not everything is a conspiracy.
I think u just saved me a long sail🤣👍🏻
At 4:30: Gestetner (hard G) copying machine. The original doc.s were of plastic, made on typewriters that cut into it; ink would ooze through onto multiple sheets of paper as you turned the handle.
It’s actually gorgeous here, it’s so sad it’s just fallen into ruin.
I lived there in the 60s. I'm a rain people.
You're a rare one!
I lived there in 1976, worked for the CIBC bank. It was a depressing place with 99.9 % rain all year long. Thank God I was flown once a week to do the banking on Waglisla (Bella Bella) BC
Your video title says abandoned, but Wikipedia says there are full time residents in that town.
Yes there are a handful of full time residents. I tried to talk to some and show their story, but unfortunately none wanted to be filmed.
5:11 that view is amazing. What a shame. Imagine waking up to that.....
the hotel was the 3rd largest in BC for many years
great short film.
why was the place closed down though? it was bought by the government and kept going and now its abandoned. i think something more profound is happening there because someone would have developed that great piece of resort town with a ferry stop to go with it a long time ago.
I lived there as a child and often think it would be a great place to get away from it all.
They have internet now if they are doing Bitcoin. Could it be advertised to those working from home? Those who can make home anywhere?
Great job! constructive observation the selective focus was a little distracting, as there were many shots I would have liked to see unblurred images of buildings etc behind you.
I also invested there decades ago.
That was fantastic. Thank you so much for doing what you do! (I think ocean falls is on an inlet/fiord not a bay)
British Columbia is amazing. Ps: Don’t tell anyone 😉
It's in Cousins Inlet.
hey nice video! i live here
Thanks Joseph, I would have like to say hello when I was there!
@@lifeofluke i found this place online and came to look at house around the end of march and bought one april 11th. if you are ever back i'd be stocked to say whats up
I think the handcranked copier is something they called a ditto machine. In the seventies, schools had them, and they printed with purple ink.
Mimeograph - invented late 19th century, IINM. Can remember getting “hot off the press” circulars in junior high school (early 1960’s) that were still vaping off the solvent from the purple ink. I seem to remember that getting volunteers to help with running the ditto machine was never a problem.
I visited there on the MV Northland Prince in the early 60's, we delivered freight.
You probably delivered food to us in Stewart too. We left in 63.
Subscribed
Thanks David!
@@lifeofluke my pleasure Sir. I enjoy your content.
I knew a couple kids that moved to Mackenzie I think it was 80 or 81. They had moved there from Ocean Falls, I remember them saying you had to fly into Ocean Falls or obviously by boat. It is interesting to think that they went to school there, had friends etc. Mi wonder if there were more modern homes? Looks like they would have been some pretty nice old homes. I wonder where they lived?
Hi Doris, there are some nice old homes still kept up there with all modern amenities, but not a lot
lifeofluke 🙂would like to visit it one day