Kitsault[1][2] also known as Chandra Krishnan Kitsault[3] is an unincorporated settlement and private town on the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada, at the head of Alice Arm, Observatory Inlet and at the mouth of the Kitsault River. The locality of Alice Arm and the Nisga'a community of Gits'oohl[4][5] (formerly Gitzault Indian Reserve No. 24[6]) are in the immediate vicinity. "Kitsault" is an adaptation of Gits'oohl, which means "a ways in behind".
Kitsault
Chandra Krishnan Kitsault | |
|---|---|
| Kitsault | |
  Kitsault Location of Kitsault  Kitsault Kitsault (Canada) | |
| Coordinates: 55°28′00″N 129°29′00″W / 55.46667°N 129.48333°W[1] | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Regional district | Kitimat–Stikine |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 1 |
| Area code(s) | 250, 778 |
History
editThe later town of Kitsault was established in 1979 as the home community to a molybdenum mine, run by the Phelps Dodge corporation of the United States. The community was designed for 1,200 residents and included a shopping mall, restaurant, swimming pool and bowling alley.[7] In 1982, however, prices for molybdenum crashed and the entire community was evacuated after just 18 months of residence.
In 2004, the ghost town was bought by Indian-Canadian businessman Krishnan Suthanthiran for $5.7 million; he has spent $2 million maintaining the town.[8] He renamed the community from "Kitsault" to "Chandra Krishnan Kitsault", after his deceased mother.[3] In the end, he would have spent over $20 million more to fully update the town. He has also since closed the town to the public.[9]
In an effort to revitalize the ghost town, Kitsault has been proposed as a location for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal site for the export of natural gas from northwestern British Columbia. LNG pipeline routing to Kitsault has been proposed.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Kitsault". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Kitsault (Community)". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ a b "Northern B.C.'s famed abandoned town preserved in time awaits its turn - Terrace Standard". www.terracestandard.com. July 24, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
- ^ "Gits'oohl". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Gits'oohl". BC Geographical Names.
- ^ "Gitzault Indian Reserve 24 (rescinded)". BC Geographical Names.[dead link]
- ^ "About Kitsault - History". Kitsault - Heaven on Earth.
- ^ "B.C. ghost town could become major natural gas hub". CBC. July 31, 2013.
- ^ "Ghost Town Mysteries: The 30-year slumber of Kitsault, B.C."
- ^ JANG, BRENT (September 23, 2014). "Ghost town to boom town: B.C.'s Kitsault looks to LNG". The Globe and Mail.