November 21, 2024

VIDEO: GCC – 14 – Forest fire and the ghost town of Ville de Gagnon, Quebec


Part 11 of our road trip across Northern Quebec and Eastern Canada. Continuing our drive up the 389 from Baie-Comeau to Labrador City, we explored the remains of a forest fire and stumbled upon the ghost town of Ville de Gagnon.

Thanks to David Dietlein for allowing us to use some of his old (1962-1963) family photos of Ville De Gagnon prior to its destruction. Check out his website for more: http://home.i-zoom.net/~dietlein/Gagnon/Home.html

David also has a great collection of home movies from the same time period: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLQzRg-7MlU

Thanks again David!

30 thoughts on “VIDEO: GCC – 14 – Forest fire and the ghost town of Ville de Gagnon, Quebec

  1. Where did you learn your french? Here in quebec we learn english in schools, and I found out that not a lot of english speaking canadian know french. I love your french accent (It is cute) lol. Like every other video of yours this one is awesome :p Have a good trip!

  2. I love your videos and watching your journey through Canada. I am an American married to a Canadian from Fredrichton, NB, and your video series has been so informative. I hope you a d Paula are having a great time! Do you have to go back to work soon?

  3. See, now if I had a History teacher like you when I was a kid, I may have been a better student. This History lesson was fun, interesting and complete with vintage photos. Tres bien merci 🙂

  4. you really don't have trouble with your french; maybe they don't understand canadian english. they ysually do flip flops and somersaults when we hit them with americaneze english. But a good pbj usually solves all language problems and pronunciations. after all a canadian,a frenchman, and american and a german were having a very good conversation after a couple pints of ale; all languages sound the same.have a safe trip and a fun one.

  5. Dude..you're so Canadian! now I feel bad..you just struck as a kind of guy interested on how that was pronounced. You are actually doing awesome with all those names..no more shout-outs. Love your content, great info and trip..hope to meet you guys one day if you ever come to say Brechin, On!

  6. I have really enjoyed your videos and hope you have enough footage in the can to keep us on the road with you two for a while longer. Our oldest daughter is married to a Canadian and lives in Snow Lake Manitoba, about 500 Miles north of Winnipeg. Snow lake is a small mining town and our so in law works for the mine.our 12 Year old granddaughter never knew what warm weather was like until she visited relatives in Texas in the summer time now she knows what 110 deg F feels like.

  7. Hello to you both! Thank you for responding to my comments. I sincerely appreciate it. I enjoy interacting with people on YouTube, especially folks like you who have similar outlooks on life.
    This video was interesting as I enjoy discovering the histories of areas of the world and it's people that would not be included in traditional school history books. Of course, I also love to absorb the histories of my home country. So please continue to include the historical aspects of your trip. Be safe! Bonjour!

  8. I was in Gagnon when that fire burned, I go to lake Barbel (Gagnon) every spring and summer with freinds who were born in Gagnon. A lot of old timers have gone back to fish the lake. We have a fishing camp 25 miles north of Gagnon. I have a few youtube vidéos of this area, in this one at 2:19 you see the south part of the manicouagan reservoir and at 15;34 you have rené levasseur island, https://youtu.be/AFPN32SePhc

  9. co,,,ol,,, my dad was a civil engineer on the building of the town and mine our family lived there in 1958-1960 we were in the fire evacuation my dad was a copilot on one of the dc3s and i sat on his lap for a bit during the flight it was awesome, huge billowing smoke and fire everywhere and a pile of really upset passengers in the back ,, most of my memories involved two factors ,,,, the bugs ,,,, the snow

  10. The heat from the fires also opens the bracts of the spruce cones, which allows for seed dispersal, which in turn germinate and grow into new spruce trees.

  11. I just came across this town on a Google Maps trip. Says 'village' and then there's no village. ^^ You just don't expect ghost towns, or its last remains.
    Thank you for your video. I bet it was a beautiful trip.

  12. In 1975, i met a girl who grew up in Gagnon in London,England. She thought no one had ever heard of the place, however Yves, whom I’d had known since the first grade at school had been her boyfriend! Small world!

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