A former booming mining town (1950’s – 1982) with an active and busy downtown. With the announcement of the closure of the mine and mill in 1981, the economy collapsed. Businesses closed their doors, and the residents left. The story goes- ‘If you leave your keys (to the company house) then you get a free flight out of town’. Whether or not this is true – many residents left with minimal luggage, leaving behind their furniture, clothes, extra sporting equipment, even their vehicles. Some residents actually thought they would return, leaving their house keys with those that remained. Supposedly, there is a wall of keys, but I didn’t see it.
In 1983 Uranium City lost its status as a town and became an unincorporated “northern settlement “. At some point, the decision was made to abandon municipal services to the outlying parts of town, and all properties were reverted to the hamlet. All property, including structures and personal property from the previous occupants became ‘fare game’ to the remaining residents. During the past 42 years since the mine closed, almost everything of interest or value has been salvaged for re-use, or simply destroyed. The CANDU High school was closed in 1983. The roof has collapsed and everything inside and out has been literally trashed. In 2003 the hospital closed and was demolished. The former RCMP building converted into – Post Office, Municipal building and Health Clinic. There is a boil water advisory (and has been for a long time), a drinking water bottling station is currently being set up.
Former RCMP, now Uranium City Post Office, Administration and Health Clinic.
“Downtown” Uranium City. Streets were at one time paved (using mine tailing) are now mostly dirt, and remnants of sidewalks are occasionally visible through the shrubs and bushes. There are no street signs to mark the at-the-time aptly named streets; ‘Fission Avenue’, ‘Nuclear Avenue’, ‘Uranium Road’, and ‘Edorado Street’. These streets are now bordered by empty lots, concrete foundations, concrete steps leading to a non-existant doorways, or a boarded-up and dilapidated building. Most of the boarded-up buildings in the ‘downtown’ area are privately owned, though they are not likely to be repaired, or re-used.
Foundation and stairs leading to a non-existant doorway.
Maps of Uranium City properties and streets. Most of the properties shown on map at left are abandoned. ‘Downtown’ Uranium City and the area still connected to municipal services are shown on the map on the right. However, the vast majority of the properties are empty.
There is one gas station and store – Parkes General Store, selling groceries, clothing, tools and souvenirs. There isn’t much tourism. Most visitors to Uranium City are geologists working on nearby mineral claims, and crews conducting maintenance on the power lines that line Uranium City to the power station near Camsell Portage. There are however another group of visitors – those that come to see and photograph the “ghost town”, the entire suburbs of abandoned houses, the school and the collection of signs removed from building that were scheduled to be town town.
Signs that once hung on (now destroyed) buildings in Uranium City.
Sign for Uranium City Hotel (long gone).
Former Legion Hall
Former Hardware store
Liquor store, then grocery store – now abandoned.
Gallery of assorted structures in Uranium City
Aerial view. Uranium City lies within the area of the deciduous trees. ‘Downtown’ is in the distance.