Anyox

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One of the coolest jobs I did this year was at an old abandoned mining town off the northwest coast of BC called Anyox. I went there to do a Photogrammetry job for a company that is pulling the old mine tailings out of the ocean. These tailings were left there decades ago from the mining done by previous generations (656,974 tonnes from 1928-1935). After an hour heading north from Prince Rupert on a float plane I saw in the distance what I can best described as a scene from Planet of the Apes. There were towers and pipes sticking out of the beautiful coastal forests and random concrete buildings that looked 100 years old! (They actually are). Needless to say I was super intrigued and was keen to explore... as soon as I finished the task that had brought me there that is.

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The float plane was delayed a few hours and I arrived in Anyox in a bit of a panic. It was 3:30pm in the north and the sun was casting some heavy shadows. As beautiful as it was, this was not good for the type of work I came to do. Photogrammetry is the process of taking thousands of photos and stitching them together to produce one large seamless map, as well as producing 3D models of the environment. The shadows make this process less accurate and can even create errors or even a complete failure. However, as I jumped on the quad (ATV) they had ready for me, the perfect overcast system came in and it was time to get to work! I flew two missions in total. The first mission was a faster higher flight to ensure that I would have a product to deliver. The second was a lower slower flight taking much more detailed photos for a better product. Once the missions were complete and I had started the photogrammetry process ,which can take a very long time to finish, I grabbed my drone and headed off to explore!

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The first thing I found past the black slag pile was a bridge. It stood out among the rest of the town due to its newer construction. The water way that flowed under it ,Falls creek, was captivating to say the least . It was hard to pull myself away, but after capturing lots of video's (and a selfie) I continued on.

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I can tell you I really tried to see it all in the little time I was there . A person could easily spend a week there and still miss hidden treasures along the way. Foundations, toilets, fire hydrants and many more things that you would see in a regular town just appear out of nowhere and slowly you can start to piece together what may have once been.

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When it was too dark to continue I headed back to the barge. There the 2 man crew and the cook we’re just getting ready for supper. The site custodian had a wealth of information about Anyox and was super keen to tell me all he knew. With this new knowledge I became even more captivated by this once bustling mining town. He told me that Anyox was home to over 4000 people. It was completely self sufficient with running water and a hydro electric dam that powered the entire town and mine... wait did he just say Hydro dam? I went to bed after the Photogrammetry processes had completed successfully . A huge weight had been lifted off my chest, knowing my job was complete until I returned home the next day to reprocess the whole project at full quality. Still, I had a hard time falling asleep knowing I only had until 1pm the following day to find that dam!!
The next morning i jumped into my clothes, grabbed my gear and hopped on the quad. The camp custodian said it was only 4-5 kms up one of the many back roads and told me I should have no problem finding it. About 20 minutes down the trail on the quad, pushing through a section of completely over grown alder bushes, I stumbled upon an open field like area. I looked up at my surroundings and just like back at the town the remnants of past infrastructures started to show them selves.

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The roads to the Hydro dam and the old deactivated mine.

A lone power pole probably supplying  power back up to the hydro dam.

An old locomotive with nowhere to go.

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I have to admit that after a while i was starting to wonder if i had indeed taken the correct road. Knowing that if something malfunctioned on the quad and i had to walk back it was going to take well over 4 hours... I started to consider turning back. Then, within seconds of those thoughts i came winding down a hill side... and there it was! I'd consider myself someone who has seen some incredible landscapes and beautiful mountain top views in my life but nothing compared to seeing this concrete marvel of a wall nestled in between  a steep overgrown valley.

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I think I spent over 2 hours exploring, flying my drone and taking pictures scared to miss something that I might never get a chance to see again.

As I headed back to the barge I tried to see everything I could, knowing that my time there was coming to an end. I packed up my gear and headed down to the float plane. As we flew back to Prince Rupert I looked down at Anyox and realized that I had really only explored a small area and couldn't help but wonder what other treasures lay beneath the old over grown town.

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A 3D model i rendered of the Anyox hydro dam.

A tour of Anyox

Thanks for reading!