Part of the Ghost Towns of Canada series
The story of Cassiar is one of shifting economics in the outside world and changing communities within. Opening in 1952, the Cassiar asbestos mine would become one of world's best known. In fact, it was the town's chief export that lined Neil Armstrong's space suit for his first historic lunar step.
From the outset, the growth of Cassiar was mirrored by the settling of a nearby Native community called "The Village". In the earliest years, the two communities were vastly different, one having all the latest amenities, the other almost none. A tragic accident in 1970, however, would force the mine to remedy disparities for The Village and its Kaska/Tahltan people. By the 1970s, with a new awareness of the health risks associated with asbestos, the future of the Cassiar did not look bright.
The story of Cassiar is also one of a community that flourished even after its closing. A decade after the town was torn apart and trucked away, the "Cassiar: Do You Remember?" web site kept the community spirit alive and 800 former residents attended a reunion in 2001.
Titles included in this series:
Ireland's Eye, Newfoundland
Grosse Île, Québec
Val Jalbert, Québec
Silver Islet, Ontario
Depot Harbour, Ontario
Creighton, Ontario
Ghost Town Trail, Saskatchewan
Rowley, Alberta
Nordegg, Alberta
Barkerville, British Columbia
Sandon, British Columbia
Ocean Falls, British Columbia
