Abandoned Buildings

There are lots of abandoned buildings around here, but almost all of them are old barns.  These are a few more interesting buildings, including several houses.  I haven't been past many of these in about a decade, so who knows what shape they're in today.

This is the only log cabin I know of which is at least somewhat still standing (apart from a few which have been refurbished and maintained).  This stands back in the woods, not too far from one of the Bruce Trail side trails, which is how I found it.  Amazing dove-tailed corners, all with only hand tools!

This old barn foundation is certainly not unique, but it stays in my memory for two reasons.  First it's the only one I've visited with a geologist in tow, who could explain the minerology of each block.  As I recall, the light coloured ones are the native dolostone around here; the others are glacial in origin, various combinations of things like quartz, felspar or basalt, brought down from the Canadian Shield by the glaciers.  

The other reason I remember this one is crazy - someone bought it, had it taken apart stone-by-stone, moved and reassembled, as a garden feature!

A more recent home but still obviously old, and abandoned for some time.

And an even more recent home, hidden behind overgrown trees and shrubs, but still abandoned.

This beautiful old stone house I'm not quite sure of, I think it's just in transition.  I know it was occupied until recently, but I don't know whether it's abandoned or just kept so family members can use it on summer weekends.  I suspect that's how it usually happens - when one generation passes on and the family doesn't have the will to simply sell it promptly, and doesn't maintain it.  Around here one winter can do a lot of damage if the pipes freeze.

These last two are much bigger buildings.  This is the old ski lodge at Old Smokey, a ski hill just north of Talisman.  I never skied here,  but I remember driving past it in my youth.  It ended operation in about the mid-1980s..

And this, unbelievably, is the Talisman Ski Lodge, a busy going concern until about 10 years ago, but a sad story since.  I've skied here, and our own children did as well, but it was sold to a developer who slowly discovered that the cost of refurbishment was too high.  Pipes had burst, and mold had spread.  I think the municipality owns it again now.

Add up the investment in these buildings and others, and that's a big financial loss!  The loss of Talisman is felt acutely in the local community, as it was a significant source of employment, a very visible feature along the road north of Kimberley.  It was still operational recently enough that many locals still remember it.