The Purple rain

The Madeleine islands

The Madeleine islands

Archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

The Madeleine islands (Quebec), Canada

The Madeleine islands are an eleven islands archipelago in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. While most are interconnected by bridges or dams, some are isolated and far away from the main land.

The islands are known for their postcard landscapes and their kilometers of (cold) beaches. Of course, it is also for the great food and hospitality of the islanders.

I had begun to believe in the potential of the islands and the possibilities to find several abandoned houses. After all, the Prince Edward Island, where we were previously, had filled me with hope with all its abandoned buildings.

However, there was a small detail that I had forgotten. I should must apply the rule of three ... You know the rule that says "beautiful landscape + many tourists = very expensive land"? Well... I forgot to think about that rule ... Result: only few deserted places. I have seen some abandoned houses here and there, but nothing very convincing ... And most importantly, not very inviting when neighbors are close and there are no trees.

So I decide to focus on wrecks because you should know that the Madeleine islands are known as the largest marine cemetery in North America. To date, there are over 713 shipwrecks and the last added in the list is the Nadine, who sank December 16, 1990. Of these, two carcasses of ships, dry docks to be more precise, are still visible from the beach. If the first can't be reached, the second is located on a beach. Unfortunately, it doesn't shows great interest.

Finally, there is the Brion island, a tiny 6.5 km² piece of land. Today, there are no more people who live over there. The few remnants here and there of old houses are now inhabited by birds. Unfortunately for me, the weather did not gave me the chance to take a ride over there...

Related content

The Negro Community Center
Montréal, Quebec (Canada)
The origins of the building

Despite the many changes made to the building by the Negro community center, it is clear that the original building was a church. Plans are signed by Sidney Rose Badgley (1850-1917), an architect from Ste.Catherine,...

Abandoned house - Scotstown area | Photo by Jarold Dumouchel
Eastern Townships, Quebec (Canada)

Abandoned for more modern constructions or left behind to adrift once the occupants died, abandoned houses populate the countryside. Hidden under vegetation who tries to conquer its old territory, sometimes the time prevents explorers from...

The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion
Laurentides, Quebec (Canada)

Built in 1923 by Helen Johnston, widow of William Watson Ogilvie, the mansion incorporates all the components required by the old bourgeoisie. It must be said that her husband William W. Ogilvie had made a fortune in the grain trade, and when he...

Doel, the nuclear ghost town
Doel, (Belgium)

We are almost in the Netherlands, but also in the port area of the port of Antwerp in Belgium, first chemical port in Europe.

By the early 60s, the Scheldt marshes are doomed to extinction to be replaced by gigantic docks and the incessant...