Birtle’s Indian Residential School that can be seen today was built in 1930 and managed by the Presbyterian church. It was one of many such structures built as part of Canada’s aggressive assimilation policy, wherein […]
history under ground
Canada
Birtle Indian Residential School
Firestone Tire Plant
Hamilton, ON
Hamilton is still an industrial city, that much is obvious. But Firestone was one of the first big companies to build here. To remember it, we have a shell nestled between the steel mills. It’s never dark here.
Fort William
Starch Works
Thunder Bay, ON
From failed starch works to a wartime asset, this brick ruin has seemingly always been an unwanted castle of a forgotten island.
Grain Elevators of
Port Arthur & Fort William
Thunder Bay, ON
At its peak, Port Arthur and Fort William was home to more than 30 elevators once. Some of them remain, but many are abandoned.
Hearn Generating Station
Toronto, ON
The R.L. Hearn Generating Station served Toronto from the early 1950s through the 1990s. The first thing you’ll notice is the smokestack; the last thing you’ll notice is how much time you’ve spent inside. Good thing the Turbine Hall has a clock…
Lakeview Power Station
Hamilton, ON
The stacks wouldn’t be visible through the mist anyway, if they weren’t demolished. This is how I came to know Lakeview Power Station, one of the last giant Ontario coal-fired power plants.
Lyric Theatre
Hamilton, ON
Before it was demolished, one could venture above the tacky suspended ceiling of this movie house to revisit its Vaudeville past.
Ogilvie’s Grain Elevators
Thunder Bay, ON
Named after the ‘baker King’ and endorsed by a Duke, this elevator has led a charmed existence on the banks of the Kam. Between almost sliding into the river and being set on fire by teenagers, it’s amazing that it still remains. Here’s an article to show our appreciation, with guest co-author Ava.
Prairie Sentinel Grain Elevators
Manitoba, Canada
Sentinel grain elevators watch over the Manitoba prairie: its ghost towns, its defunct flour mills, and its endless fields.
Saskatchewan Pool Elevators #4 and #5
Thunder Bay, ON
Built in 1923 as a major terminal elevator, it would go on to have booms and busts. By ‘boom’, I mean, it had the nasty habit of exploding.