Nemiscam (), also known as Nemiskam, and originally known as Bingham, is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
within the
County of Forty Mile No. 8 in southern
Alberta
Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...
, Canada. The community is roughly 10 km east of
Foremost, west of
Etzikom, Alberta
Etzikom is a hamlet in Alberta, Canada within the County of Forty Mile No. 8. It is approximately east of Foremost on Highway 61.
Etzikom was founded in 1915. Its name comes from the Blackfoot language word for ''valley'' or ''coulee'', ...
on
Highway 61 and is administered by the
County of Forty Mile No. 8.
The community is known as a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
by people in the area due to being near-vacant with a number of
abandoned building
In law, abandonment is the relinquishment, giving up, or renunciation of an interest, claim, privilege, possession, civil proceedings, appeal, or right, especially with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting it. Such intentional acti ...
s inside the former town. In light of this fact, the community has become a minor
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...
destination from locals in the nearby cities of
Calgary
Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...
,
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, R ...
and other nearby rural communities. The most prominent features of the ghost town are the sign that says "Future home of Kmart", and the abandoned Nemiskam Garage building, both located in the southern half of the ghost town along Township Road 63A.
The ghost town is 10 km east of town
Foremost and 11 km west of the partially abandoned town of
Etzikom. The town is located nearby to also
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
s, such as
Altorado which is located 11 km south,
Conquerville which is about 19 km north, and
Orion
Orion may refer to:
Common meanings
* Orion (constellation), named after the mythical hunter
* Orion (mythology), a hunter in Greek mythology
Arts and media
Fictional entities Characters and species
* Orion (character), a DC Comics c ...
which is 33 km east.
History
Originally, Nemiskam was established as a small community called "Bingham", located 1 km southwest of the current townsite. Due to a railway bypass, the citizens of Bingham decided to settle in Nemiskam, with some even bringing their homes and businesses with them. During the community's most prosperous years, a community hall, four
grain elevators
A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...
, a school, and a
service station were present in the townsite.
About 11 km south of Nemiskam was the old community of
Altorado, which by 1913 had a population of over 100. With no prospects of a long-term future in Altorado, as the
Canadian Pacific Rail service extended a trainline north of Altorado to the community of Bingham (nowadays Nemiskam), more and more residents of Altorado relocated to Nemiskam. This eventually caused Altorado to become a ghost town similar to what Nemiskam is today.
Beginning in the 1960s, Nemiskam's population totalled 54. By 1966, the population had reduced to just 17. Today, many of the original buildings and residents have once again picked up and moved to find better way of life, most moving to
Foremost with some residents even bringing their homes with them. In the early 1990s, the dying community would suffer another loss – its four grain elevators – leaving the community in a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
state with only 6 buildings left.
Name origin
For many years Nemiskam or Nemiscam has had several disputes over the different ways of spelling the community's name. People and map companies of today spell the name with a ''c'' but many older folk like to spell it with a ''k'' as it was originally spelled on the town's long-gone
grain elevators
A grain elevator or grain terminal is a facility designed to stockpile or store grain. In the grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lowe ...
and community hall. ''Nemiskam'' with a ''k'' is
Blackfoot
The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'', or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bl ...
for 'between two coulées'.
Media Coverage
CBC News on September 10, 2020, released a mini-documentary by the title o
'This Alberta ghost town has no services, but still has guests'covering the ghost town of Nemiskam. This mini-documentary would go into detail about how people have come far and wide to take photos and videos of the abandoned town, and how the old school house is "the most photographed abandoned building in Alberta".
See also
*
Nemiskam National Park
*
List of communities in Alberta
The province of Alberta, Canada, is divided into ten types of Local government in Canada, local governments – urban municipalities (including List of cities in Alberta, cities, List of towns in Alberta, towns, List of villages in Alberta, vil ...
*
List of ghost towns in Alberta
The province of Alberta has several ghost towns that have been completely or partially abandoned. Many of Alberta's ghost towns exist as a result of a number of failed coal mining operations in the area during the early 20th century.
Ghost t ...
*
Ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
References
{{coord, 49, 28, 48, N, 111, 16, 34, W, scale:50000_type:city_region:CA-AB, name=Nemiscam, display=title
Ghost towns in Alberta
Localities in the County of Forty Mile No. 8