Ontario Abandoned Places will be rebranded as Ominous Abandoned Places

Kiosk Ghost Town

Abandoned Ghost Town in Nipissing, Unorganized, South Part, Ontario, Canada

Oct 29 2012

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Recent status Abandoned
Location # 5701

n 1936 by lumber baron S.J. Staniforth built a mill at Kiosk. The townsite had 75 homes, a school, post office, and a Catholic church.

By 1960, the town could boast approx. 80 homes and approx. 600 residents.

Around 1974, plans for Algonquin Park were in the final stages of development. The plans calls for logging to continue but that there would be no mills allowed. The Kiosk Union fought hard to keep their mill as it was situated inside the park and it was necessary for employment.

The size of the town was definitely in the favour of the residents, many of whom had hoped to retire here, and did not want to move.

The mill stood until Friday the 13th, in July 1973 when it was consumed by fire. Some homes were saved by fact that metal railway cars stood between them and the mill. Some residents believe that there was a conspiracy to burn the mill. The Kiosk Union tried to get severance pay for the workers as well as retrain them, however this failed.

Some residents were able to stay employed by cleaning up the ruins and removing what lumber remained. Other residents held out, hoping they'd receive compensation for their homes.

The government gave them an offer, and a deadline of 1996 to leave the town.

Location: Take highway 17 east, past North Bay. Drive towards Mattawa for approx. 45km and turn on highway 630. It is another 50 km of winding and bumpy road until you reach Algonquin Provincial Park and the site of Kiosk.

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5 years ago

Just wow. First time visiting Kiosk, and Algonquin. Found some neat bridges etc. but nothing compares to what I believe to be an old trapping hut. We bushwhacked our own trail down the river bank and eventually got to an impasse, when I noticed some heavily wooded tin sticking out of the ground. Looking further we found strange objects like cooking tools, walls, an old engine block, even a snowmobile abandoned in the river for who knows how long. Wish I could find a back story on this!