Cassiar is a ghost town nestled in the Cassiar Mountains of Northern British Columbia, Canada, north of Dease Lake. Once a thriving asbestos mining community, Cassiar's history is both fascinating and poignant.
The discovery of asbestos in the area in 1950 led to the founding of the Cassiar Asbestos Company the following year. The town of Cassiar was established in 1952, coinciding with the start of mining operations. By the 1970s, Cassiar had grown to a population of 1,500 and boasted a range of facilities, including two schools, two churches, a small hospital, a theatre, a swimming pool, a recreation centre, and a hockey rink.
However, by the early 1990s, diminished demand for asbestos and the high costs associated with converting from an open-pit mine to an underground operation rendered the mine unprofitable. In 1992, the Cassiar Asbestos Company decided to close the mine and liquidate its assets, including the town itself. Most of the town's contents, including a few houses, were auctioned off and transported away. The remaining dwellings were bulldozed and burned. The mill saw a brief reactivation in 1999 by Cassiar Chrysotile Inc., which had a reclamation permit to clean up the site. Despite exporting 11,000 tons of asbestos, the mill burned down on Christmas Day of 2000, effectively halting all production. Today, the streets are bare, and flowers bloom where houses once stood.
By the fall of 2006, residents living between the townsite and the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, and those on the highway itself who had originally obtained phone service from the Cassiar exchange, were moved to the nearby Good Hope Lake exchange, leading to the shutdown of the Cassiar exchange. Neglected and in disrepair, the hockey arena collapsed in 2008, followed by the church in 2015. The tramline that once transported ore from the mine down the mountainside to the mill was purchased at auction but left standing by the buyer.
The four old apartment blocks at the east end of town remain operational for ongoing site reclamation work. As of November 2006, they were being used by mining exploration companies conducting underground gold mining at Table Mountain (formerly Erickson Gold) and base metal exploration in the immediate area. Seasonal jade mining also takes place from the Cassiar waste dumps. Despite the town's abandonment, its legacy continues through ongoing reclamation and exploration activities. The site remains a testament to the boom-and-bust cycles of resource-dependent communities.
Cassiar's history is marked by the rise and fall of its asbestos industry. The global decline in asbestos demand, due to health concerns and stricter regulations, played a significant role in the town's demise. Asbestos, once hailed for its fire-resistant properties, became notorious for its health risks, including asbestosis and mesothelioma, leading to its decreased usage worldwide. The town's remote location, harsh winters, and the eventual environmental and health concerns associated with asbestos mining all contributed to its abandonment. Today, Cassiar stands as a ghost town, a relic of industrial history, and a reminder of the transient nature of such communities. Its remaining structures and ongoing reclamation efforts serve as silent witnesses to the town's vibrant past and its inevitable decline.
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