Industrial Decay of the Canadian Lakehead

[vid]

Personally I don't like these kinds of threads, but after seeing these photo's recently
uploaded on Flickr, I had to share them. All images link to their Flickr photo page.

Most of these are taken in abandoned buildings throughout the city's industrial
harbourland area.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/410869839_b2ffc8a83b.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410869839/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/410869835_e71223549d.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410869835/)
I posted this one because it looks kinda like a dead angel. Yes, it is a decaying bird.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/410869833_515b0d105b.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410869833/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/410869793_2321ceec87.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410869793/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/410836120_962308c71c.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410836120/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/410836115_860c63c1ed.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410836115/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/163/410836117_b701d70dc0.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/410836117/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/142/410664541_b9e888fca5.jpg?v=1173057459 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410664541/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/168/410664548_de78dfbae7.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410664548/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/410645527_1e7e26366a.jpg?v=1173057286 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410645527/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/410645502_205470bd1a.jpg?v=1173057137 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410645502/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/147/410645497_7df1a6afc2.jpg?v=1173054591 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410645497/in/photostream/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/161/410620596_e6793b1c2d.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410620596/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/410645515_b99cffbcd0.jpg?v=1173057329 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410645515/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/148/409154140_fa389e1a89.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92756132@N00/409154140/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/410664531_e8f4bdcd86.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/410664531/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/117/404129633_71eb8d877f.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/404129633/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/404129635_484eb94485.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/404129635/)
Window from the grain elevator pictured before this.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/127/399341744_bc465fe032.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92756132@N00/399341744/)
This building has been dubbed "The Old Ironworks Building". It currently contains
a business that (iirc) is called Lakehead Ironworks (the business is operating)
It is located in the Intercity area, near the city's largest mall.
From what I have learned by reading comments on flickr, this building may have originally
been a grain elevator, though that is unlikely since the river beside it wasn't built
until the late 60s. I have also heard that it was a place where elevators were either
manufactured or tested, though why elevators were manufactured or tested here is a
mystery. The side says either H&S or D&S, but over top (or underneath?) that it says "____
_EED"; it may have been a grain elevator for seeds? It could also have been a really
tall ironworks, or a bullet manufacturing facility. (Old bullets were made by dropping
molten lead from high up into water; the gravity would form it into a perfectly round
spere.) SSP Page: http://www.skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=46478

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/159/367158075_74aa8f2200.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/92756132@N00/367158075/)
Metal scrap on Mission Island, in the Kam River Delta. Mission Island is home to
the city's coal power plant, some marina's and a large coal storing area. It and McKeller
Island nearby are roughly one third industry, two thirds bush and 1% built up; about
30 to 60 people live on the islands. An alternate angle can be seen here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timvanhorn/373870117/).

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/113/364985083_7588b3d24b.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/364985083/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/364985086_8031e1a75d.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/364985086/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/364978444_fbf8f9ec55.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/364978444/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/176/363584146_a22fb1db74.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/363584146/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/135/335207493_cf79a143cf.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/69483685@N00/335207493/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/109/364985084_df7617bfb7.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/lifeinlights/364985084/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/350692119_91a2f4a6c2.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nipigon/350692119/)
xalija, the photographer, describes this image: 'This was taken in
Thunder Bay on the shores of Lake Superior. This is some industrial waste or
something. The stuff practically glowed. The picture was taken at sunset
which added a bluish tone to the dead dried grass. Pretty picture, bad
environmental mess.'


We used to be something...

[Xelebes]

Heh... the old castles of industry...

Some of those sights are outright spooky.

[raggedy13]

^Ya, whoever took those pictures is much braver than I, assuming they were alone at the time. Those are some creepy looking places to be hanging around taking pictures. Pretty sweet pics though, in a depressing sort of way.

[vid]

There are three or four guys that take them on a near weekly basis, they seem to go in pairs. Common sense, no?

They are creepy though. Especially at night. We called them "The Castles Of Commerce" and only 16 are left.

[James Bond Agent 007]

Nice job. There's a strange beauty about stuff like this.

[LSyd]

great finds. i need to get some UE in...i seem to do it every other year, and it's been almost 2 years since the last expidition(s).

-

[Urban Sky]

bad ass pictures..loved them

[Lecom]

Beautiful yet eerie, fascinating yet depressing, inviting yet morbid. I half expect to see ghosts of the old indistrial past to be roaming thrugh the halls, moving chains, pouring steel, clanking, steaming, sooting. Great photos.

[Marc B.]

There are three or four guys that take them on a near weekly basis, they seem to go in pairs. Common sense, no?

They are creepy though. Especially at night. We called them "The Castles Of Commerce" and only 16 are left.

Are those the same guys who took these photos of the ruins of Candy Mountain: http://matt.wandel.ca/candy_mountain/

There are some truly spooky things on the islands, especially Mission, like the old Starch Works plant. And the deer. Hard to believe people live there.

Thanks, these pictures are really cool.

[vid]

I don't think so, but they do have some shots of Candy on their site.

Haunted places in Thunder Bay:

Ontario - Thunder Bay - Econolodge - formerly Circle Inn - Cleaning staff has reported the cries of a baby and the scent of baby powder in room 216 even though the room had been vacant the night before and no-one had checked in during the day. Two infants died from pneumonia in 2002 (?) while the hotel was still the Circle Inn. The chambermaid that reported the cries did not know about the murders that had occurred in the room. (that story made national news if anyone can remember, the babies were in the room for a couple days)

Ontario - Thunder Bay - Floodway - East End - Many murders have taken place at this site. People are seen walking the road only to disappear. The whole east end is haunted. Most of the houses in the area are very active. (not only murders, but lots of suicides and disappearances in the floodway area as well. The East End was once described as the most decrepit slum in the commonwealth - worse than anything in INDIA!)

Ontario - Thunder Bay - Nelsons Road - Sometimes people see their spirits roaming the road. Now to this day no one would want to stay out there by themselves. (in Shuniah around where Terry Fox ended the marathon)

There are also numerous abandoned towns in the bush along rail way tracks that are haunted. The elevators also have squatters and such in them. You get these things when the economy busts.


About 40 people live on the Industrial Islands and amongst them they probably have 60 guns and two last names! :tup:

I'll add a few more why not:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/158/411832284_61272dbfcb.jpg?v=1173132219 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/411832284/)
The view from an elevator. This one is in Current River

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/151/411832291_8c90a0ae15.jpg?v=1173131972 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/411832291/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/411832289_67e187736a.jpg?v=1173132321 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianbtv/411832289/)

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/415504597_77c40e48b2.jpg?v=0 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/jay_arpin/415504597/)
If my guess is correct, this is on Cooke Street.

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7557/s1010026kv1.jpg
(My own image)

It's a heritage site, and in a low traffic location, so it won't be torn down any time soon. It's one of the oldest things in town.

[Urban Sky]

industrial decay is awesome because it makes for such rockin photos

[rockyi]

Abandoned industrial sites? Boy, am I familiar with those!
Cool shots.