• Molybdenum is a metal which normally is found mixed in with other minerals. It has the 6th highest melting point of any element, which is why 80% of the world’s production is used in steel alloys.
• In 1979, the Phelps Dodge corporation of the U.S. bought a molybdenum mine in a remote coastal region of British Columbia, Canada, about 500 miles (900 km) north of Vancouver, and two hours away from the nearest neighboring town. Anticipating a mining boom, the company proceeded to build an entire town from scratch, fit to house an estimated 1,200 people which would include the mine workers, their families, and all the support personnel needed to keep the little town flourishing since it was so far away from any other piece of civilization. The new city was called Kitsault, a corruption of the local native phrase meaning, “way up in there” perhaps referring to the remote nature of the location.
• The corporation went all-out in creating the newly minted city, spending an estimated $50 million in 1980 and 1981. There was of course a grocery store, a restaurant, bank, theater, post office, school, hospital, and pub. But then there was so much more: a curling rink, shopping mall, swimming pool, gym, community center, and bowling alley. And there were around 100 lovely new homes with winding roads and stylish street lights.
• Then, disaster struck. There was a recession. The introduction of molybdenum by-products into the market reduced the value of molybdenum. The market crashed. There was no longer any profit to be made from molybdenum.
• Only 18 months after the mine opened with the newly-built fully functional city at its gates, the town was completely evacuated. It became a ghost town. The last of the residents left on Oct. 31, 1983.
• The company, hoping for resurgence in the value of molybdenum, hired caretakers to keep everything from falling apart. But the mine never re-opened and the people never returned.
• Luckily, a millionaire decided the town was worth saving. In 2004, he bought the entire town for $5.7 million and hired a team of caretakers to prevent the city from falling into decay. Roofs are repaired; streets are cleared; homes and businesses and buildings are kept in tip-top shape. Lawns are mowed and trees are trimmed. Everything is kept as a kind of 1980s time capsule.
• There are still menus in the restaurant, toys in the day care, books in the library. There are ash trays on the tables in the pub. Shopping carts are neatly lined up in the completely empty grocery store. Many of the residents left their possessions behind, because it’s hard to get a moving van in a location that remote.
• However, the mine was not part of the purchase. A different mining company bought that, but failed in its attempt to turn a profit.
• The owner of Kitsault says that one day he may turn the town into a spiritual retreat, or perhaps a science center. There has been talk about turning it into a hub on a natural gas pipeline. Perhaps it will turn into a doomsday retreat.
• Today, for a fee, you can tour the town, if you’re willing to travel that far on bad roads to get there. You can even spend the night, wandering through the abandoned buildings on vacant roads. One of the abandoned homes has been transformed into a museum showcasing the short life of the community.
• But don’t show up without a reservation or an invitation. The gates to Kitsault are locked.
