We went for a drive yesterday to Nanisivik, partially to give someone a ride, partially to take some pictures of what’s left of Nanisivik for Stacy (who used to live there), but mostly because it was another beautiful fall day. Here are some pictures from the drive…
Here is what is left of the mill.
This is where the main entrance to the mine used to be.
Here is the gutted community centre, my old office is above and to the right of the two large garage doors.
What’s left of Nanisivik.
This little Arctic Fox was wandering through Nanisivik.
A picture of the St George Society Cliffs from the trip back. You can see part of Arctic Bay on the right.
Arctic Bay. The House is at the upper left.
And finally for your daily requirement of cuteness… these puppies were on the side of the road on the way back home.
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12 responses
I still get emotional when I look at the pictures of Nanisivik.
Thanks again Clare for taking those pics for me!!! It feels very weird to see the town like that…but, i am so thankful for the experience(s) that I had up north!!! 🙂
I remember spending a few afternoons in Nanasivik during the Winter of 92.It was an interesting and busy place while in operation.When was it officially closed?
Why was it closed?
Hi Ida,
I imagine that seeing a school named Allurut School (after your grandfather?) being gutted is pretty hard.
You’re welcome Stacy.
Jim, I guess it has been four years now since they took ore out of it. The cleanup was on hold for a couple of years while they decided the site’s fate.
The school was actually named after my father. He passed away in ’86.
Dave, I missed your comment. The mine was closed when the price of zinc dropped below the level that made mining profitable. They had just built a new section of the mill that had enabled them to extract the lower grade ore that was left and extend the life of the mill for three years, when the price dropped. The price came back up eventually but when the decision was taken there is no going back as they mine out the pillars of the mine making it no longer safe. The first ore came out in 1976 and it was originally planned to be operational for seven years so it went a lot longer than they had envisioned.
Hi Clare. I lived in Nanisivik ’86 to ’95 and worked at the airport. I went back once in ’99 just after 10 govt houses were moved to Arctic Bay. Thanks for posting pics of what is left of the town. Lots of great people came and went over the years, and I loved driving to Arctic Bay to visit everyone I know there and for feasts and games.
I remember moving to Nanisivik back in 79 before the school was done. They thought about naming the school I think it was either a rabbit because they hung around there a lot during the dark season or it might have been a avingaq (lemming) because they found one in the building just after they put the siding up. But it turns out that named it after my father. Time went by so fast but I have to say that a lot of my first experiences were started in Nanisivik! 🙂
Thanks for showing the pictures.
Thanks for visiting Aseena. I put up a couple of other pictures just the other day.
Thanks for the photos of the mining town.I was there when there was really only one building and they started to blast the opening for the mine. We built the dining/rec hall and the duplex houses back in 74-75. When we finished the “igloo” most of the people from Arctic Bay came to see the new attraction. I always enjoyed the view across the sound, the distance is deceiving. It was hard long work and good food. With an occasional northern lights show or the midnight sun,the place was unforgetable.
Thanks Dan,
The townsite would probably look more like when you first got there now. There are only a couple of houses left and another building or two (such as the garage). It’s been incredible to watch it disappear.