Abandoned Spaces in Northern Ontario

If I stopped every time I saw a burnt out motel or abandoned gas station beside a highway in northern Ontario, I’d never get anywhere. In May, I stopped at a few choice locations, and bookmarked a few others for the end of the summer when I’ll be passing that way again. The images are inherently dramatic, they raise questions, imply a story. For example, what happened at the Dorion Inn? This motel sits on the south side of Highway 17 by the township of Dorion half way between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. Interestly, you can still find it listed on TripAdvisor. Good luck booking a room. According to the wikipedia listing for Dorion, the town has a population of 338. Maybe 337 if one of its residents was staying in the room on the end the night the fire broke out. But why would a local need a room? Unless … My imagination gets the better of me.

One of my favourites is a gas station on Hwy 17 near Agawa Bay on the east shore of Lake Superior (here on google maps). The google maps image is from 2012. Since then, artists from Toronto (e.g. Deadboy) have come up and decorated the place.

Finally, there’s Trudy’s Eat Hut, For Sale/For Rent along with the gas station/garage. This one is located east of Thessalon on the north shore of Lake Huron. You can view it on google maps here shown in 2012 much as it is in 2015. Unlike the previous two locales, it isn’t burnt out or wrecked; it’s just decrepit.