Butedale

[Nomad Willy]

Ken E,
We've overnighted at Butedale several times in the last ten years and not had a problem. Smaller boats though. 25 and 30'. Dangerous? You bet! The whole place is dangerous.

Hate to see it become some kind of a resort. I like ruins better than resorts and marinas. Too many people now. I was there in the 70's w my first wife. We hiked up the flume to the lake and we showered for a long time. With free water and heat why not.

At that time the flume and generator were in good working order. That would have been the time to up-grade the place. The fishermen now use the little cove so of the cannery to spend the night. Several raft up.

However other places w a better harbor and without many many tons of debris to remove would make a better choice for a pleasure boaters resting stop. And if development was done lots of ecological work would need to be done. While we were living on Prince of Wales Is. an old mine was cleaned up. Big money.

Two pics of Butedale as of about three years ago and one of fishermen in the small cove.

 

[stanfromhell]

Marin;
I just discovered this thread; thanks for the memories, I think.
Sad to see the slow death of what once was BC.
BC was the coast. BC was the cost people.

I regret that my time as a kid on that part of the coast did not involve pictures. What was the point? It would always be that way. No need to save it on pieces of paper. Any pictures I have, were of people, kids mostly and the typical coastal buildings were just part of the background along with the trees and old boats.

As a kid, I never got beyond (old) Bella Bella and even through the 80's when I got up there and beyond it was still the rough and tumble coast and still no pictures.

So when folks like you went and saw it with different eyes and captured it because it was a new adventure, you held onto some of it for the likes of me.

How many times have the Butedales of the coast been a new owners dream come true, only to choke to death in the 8 month fog, pelted with rain?

Thanks again, the old guard salutes you...

My thoughts as well and my thanks for the photos. In the seventys and early eightys I worked in logging camps all up and down the coast. Never spent a moment looking at the scenery or taking photos of places like this. I now have a boat and am going back next summer for a long leisurely visit. Does anyone remember Church House?

 

[Ted]

Yep, tied up there overnight in 1969

Ted

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Passed by Butedale this past summer. It was falling into the water. Sad to see. Crusty Chief actually stopped overnight, saw the spirit bear up close.


They have a new aluminum ramp. It would be great if this place was converted to a resort or a stop over as it is in the perfect place between Bella Bella and Prince Rupert.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Please join us on MV Pairadice : NORTH B.C. / KITAMAT AND BUTEDALE

Link to our trip at Kitimak and Butedale.

 

[Crusty Chief]

Passed by Butedale this past summer. It was falling into the water. Sad to see. Crusty Chief actually stopped overnight, saw the spirit bear up close.


They have a new aluminum ramp. It would be great if this place was converted to a resort or a stop over as it is in the perfect place between Bella Bella and Prince Rupert.

Thanks Tom, a pic of the Spirit bear.

 

[Retriever]

Stopped at Butedale on the way south from Alaska last summer. Cory is looking after the place. Free Wi-Fi near the cookhouse and a decent trail up to the lake.

The floats have been resurfaced and there's a new, sturdy ramp connecting the floats to shore.

Here are some pictures I took with the drone...

 

[JDCAVE]

Hey Retriever: cool pics from the drone! We stayed there last summer as well. It was ok and the price was right. You do have to be careful where you step on the dock. Cory's old tom cat Tiger serenaded Lilly. She wasn't sure what to make of him. We were able to take our dog Jenny to shore which was nice and the blue berries were tasty, but the bugs were something else! Glad to have repellant. We didn't see the Kermode though.

As with all of these ventures, the owner may have grand ideas, but the reality of coast and effort will ultimately get in the way.

 

[twistedtree]

Yes, Sam, I think you have made the best use of a drone that I have seen so far. Keep up the great work!

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

For those interested, it would seem this is the company that bought the place.


Inside Passage Marine Corporation


I sent the CEO an email and asked if he would be so kind to post an update here. Let you know what I find out.

 

[twistedtree]

That's a very interesting project. I hope it's successful.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Marin, thank you for this thread!
Seeing this kind of place decaying always brings tears to me. I always thought that we are just loosing a part of ourselves. I know that we cannot keep everything but when I think about all the work, effort, sweat an sacrifice that were made there, it is always sad to see all that fall in oblivion a little bit more every year.
This remind me my own history... My great grandfather was a sawyer in Alps mountain in France. He built his saw mill from scratch by hand using parts recovered from world war heritage engines. It was really a piece of art, powered by electricity generated from a river (he also built the little dam and generator). I remember myself when I was a little boy going in the sawmill and looking at all these machines making noise, all these saw running mechanically and smelling this wood parfume (yes I had the incredible chance to know him as he passed away at almost 97 years old). Now his sawmill his owned by one of his son, aged of a bit more than 85 years old and it is like this place, decaying a little more every day. One day all this will disapear and will last only memories. Considering all the work involved it is a pity to see all that disapear but does not everything transient down here?
Marin this kind of thread makes memories last longer so thank you.

 

[Donsan]

Marin, thank you for this thread!

Marin went in limbo about a year ago after being one of the most prolific posters ever. He may have gotten tired of posters asking what happened to almost sink his boat.

 

[Lou_tribal]

​

Marin went in limbo about a year ago after being one of the most prolific posters ever. He may have gotten tired of posters asking what happened to almost sink his boat.

Did not know this. Thanks to him anyway!

 

[Butedale]

I'd be glad to send along the current Butedale Summary by email , to anyone who would like to see it...Best Regards Shawn Kennedy contact: skennedyau@gmail.com

 

[Insequent]

Good luck with the project Shawn. I never made it that far north before shipping my boat back to Australia, but I loved to visit and support the facilities of the kind you have there. I'm hoping to get back to your region for more cruising one day, and hope you are open at the time!

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Messrs. D and L_t. I think Mr. Marin was sent to limbo rather than choosing to do so.

 

[MurrayM]

I'd be glad to send along the current Butedale Summary by email , to anyone who would like to see it...Best Regards Shawn Kennedy contact: skennedyau@gmail.com

Welcome aboard from just up-coast a wee bit

 

[Butedale]

Good luck with the project Shawn. I never made it that far north before shipping my boat back to Australia, but I loved to visit and support the facilities of the kind you have there. I'm hoping to get back to your region for more cruising one day, and hope you are open at the time!

Thanks Hope the link below works re: video panorama of Butedale Bay Etc, if so try full screen & various control buttons

https://www.towardsabetterworld.com/butdale/misc/pano7/butedale-pano-7.html

 

[Butedale]

Thanks for the kind welcome

https://www.towardsabetterworld.com/butdale/misc/pano7/butedale-pano-7.html

Hopefully the above links to video panorama of Butedale Bay..if so, try full screen & various control buttons

 

[Nomad Willy]

Greetings,
Messrs. D and L_t. I think Mr. Marin was sent to limbo rather than choosing to do so.

RT,
Marin "sent" into limbo?
Can we take that to the bank?
I liked Marin and miss him.

 

[Butedale]

Butedale is posted as Under Construction - "Closed for Repairs", as there is much that needs to be done there. as noted in the forum..
Travelers who decide to stop in do so at their own risk, after reading the postings. Caretaker, Cory Lindsay, is a friendly person, who enjoys people and loves Butedale. Inside Passage Marine does not derive revenue from the site in its current condition. The goal is to bring Butedale to "Blank Canvas Stage" by: cleaning up, re-establishing utilities and moorage facilities. Those modest goals are enough for now. A summary PDF of the project is available which includes an artist's rendering of possible futures, longer term...

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. NW. PM sent...

 

[Lou_tribal]

RT,
Marin "sent" into limbo?
Can we take that to the bank?
I liked Marin and miss him.

Sorry I am too much of green wood here to be aware of that. Sorry about this I did not want to start a fire trail

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

I'd be glad to send along the current Butedale Summary by email , to anyone who would like to see it...Best Regards Shawn Kennedy contact: skennedyau@gmail.com

Thanks Shawn for responding to my email. Looking forward seeing the project progressing.