June 22 - Ocean Falls

Bojangles and Nanc at the docks in Ocean Falls

The main street bridge attaching both sides of the town is now down with few prospects for repair.

The falls and ghost town of Ocean Falls.

The residential community of Ocean Falls in the background framed by the beautiful mountains.

We left Codville Lagoon in brilliant sunshine this morning and headed for a BC cultural icon, Ocean Falls. It is BC's largest ghost town, with the pulp mill having been shut down in 1980, sending around 5000 residents searching for greener pastures. However, the remaining and some new residents are trying to crank up a bit of a tourist business and the good news for boaters is that the docks are in great shape and the views are exceptional.

We walking all around the town and saw all the old abandoned buildings getting more ramshackle each year. The only remaining industry is a power generation station for the Central BC coast operated from the original dam and falls which powered the pulp mill. About two weeks before we arrived the main street bridge collapsed effectively cutting the town in half. Apparently two or three residents had to rescue their cars by barge from the now unreachable portion of town. It is a shame to see what once was a thriving town with reportedly the largest hotel north of San Francisco in 1952 die a slow but certain death.

The people we met in Ocean Falls were really friendly and they hoped that the influx of Americans and Albertans looking for low cost accommodation in a beautiful setting may renew the community some day.