Beauty in Abandoned Places
Beauty is subjective. Certain things are generally considered beautiful, such as sunsets and flowers, but others may not be everyone’s cup of tea. To me, one of the many places where beauty can be found is in ruins. I have always had a fascination for abandoned places and objects. Where some people find a sense of unease, I find peace in the stillness of a once bustling area that time forgot. Where some people see rust and debris, I see the signs of Mother Nature reclaiming what humanity thought it could steal from her. Even in ugliness, one can find beauty, and even in destruction, one can see life return.
An abandoned gas station on the Alaska Highway, Yukon, Canada
Back in 2019, I took a road trip to the Yukon, and one of the highlights of the trip was an abandoned gas station on the Alaska Highway, heading into Kluane National Park. Under threatening clouds, with towering mountains in the background, stood that white and red brick building, with the old pumps and some twisted, rusty metal mess laying by the side of the gravel parking lot. I must have been many years since it closed, and fireweed was growing in the crumpled steel sheets scattered around the property, bringing some joyful colours to the dystopian scene.
Abandoned cabins overgrown with fireweed, Yukon, Canada
During the same trip, I wandered outside of a small town, where I found myself on a dirt street lined with abandoned log cabins. The sun was setting, making the fireweed pop against the rotting wood.
Markings still visible on a street in the abandoned Pine Point town site, Northwest Territories, Canada
The following year, with the territory’s border closed due to covid, I took a staycation within the Northwest Territories, and checked out the abandoned town site of Pine Point. What I found there, rather than abandoned buildings, was a vast, rocky wasteland, with paved streets and sidewalks where the actual town once stood, but nothing else. The buildings had been deconstructed after the mine shut down in the 1980’s, and the lots were overgrown.
A piece of metal rusting in piece in a pile of rock at the abandoned Pine Point mine site, Northwest Territories, Canada
It was much warmer than it had any business being on that August day, making it feel more like a desert than the Canadian subarctic regions. The weather inspired me to edit my photos in those washed-out colors, bringing out the desolation of the area.
Nlak’pamux Curch in Spences Bridge, British Columbia, Canada
Rewinding back to 2018, when my interest in photography combined with a newfound passion for driving, I would drive up the Fraser Canyon almost every weekend to enjoy the barren landscapes of BC’s Southern Interior. I was living in Vancouver at the time, and I knew my days there were numbered, so I had decided to enjoy and capture the scenery as much as possible. In addition to the mountains and the big sagebrush-covered slopes, I would get a kick out of the derelict buildings and rusted old vehicles that would pop up here and there. In my eye, it added to the ruggedness of the region.
Old machinery at Giant Mine, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada
Closer to home, Yellowknife has no shortage of abandoned locations as its gold rush has come and gone, leaving behind abandoned mine sites such as Con and Giant. The Giant Mine site is currently under remediation, and some old equipment was left at the entrance as an outdoor exhibit. A new museum recently opened as well.
While many of those abandoned locations are the leftovers of activities that were harmful for the environment, I still enjoy visiting them. Perhaps part of me sees humans as a plague and sees the cessation of activities as good news despite the mess left behind. The damage may be done, but the recovery can start.
