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Burwash Correctional Prison
Unknown Correctional in Sudbury, Unorganized, North Part, Ontario, Canada
Mar 26 2009
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12594
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3
| Recent status | Unknown |
| Location # | 591 |
Burwash Prison was located along Highway 69. Once fully constructed, the site had the ability to house 1000 inmates but never reached full capacity.
Burwash was a completely self-sufficient town that contained a 20-bed hospital, church, school, staff townsite, power station, post office, blacksmith, tailor shop, skating rink, cemetery, hospital, barbershop, and church.
Beginnings of Burwash Prison
On September 14, 1914, the Ontario Government passed an Order in Council to establish the Burwash Industrial Farm. Four days later, the new Superintendant Clarance Fletcher Neelands, Sgt. Norman Sydney Oliver and nine inmates arrived at the Burwash Station. They set up camp and soon thereafter began constructing the first permanent building known as Camp Spruce.
In 1914 construction commenced on the 35,000 acres of land and by the end of the same year, 150 prisoners serving sentences of two years or less were transferred to Burwash.
With the First World War, came the recession. With the recession came crime. The population of inmates grew to 180.
By 1915, a small log camp had been built on the banks of the Wanapitei River and by fall, work had begun on the main camp. It was completed on January 31, 1916.
Until the construction of the cell blocks, prisoners lived in the dormitory located within the townsite.
After the construction of Burwash prison
The population continued to grow as the Guelph Reformatory was turned into a veteran's hospital and rehabilitation center. The 200 prisoners were transferred to Burwash. Burwash's population grew to over 350 men.
By 1917, a steam-powered sawmill (on Mill Lake), shingle, and 'sticker' mill were in operations. The mill produced one million feet of lumber at its peak, annually.
During the 1920s when the Christmas season arrived, the Salvation Army organized people to sing Christmas carols to the inmates.
Travel to Burwash was primarily by train as there were no roads leading to the site.
In 1933, a road built by the inmates connected the Wanapitei River with Astaire. This road now connected Burwash with other roads to Wanup, Sudbury, and Coniston. Burwash was no longer a remote isolated area. In a few years, cars were making it possible for people to visit Burwash and for staff to go shopping in Sudbury.
Once the Trans Canada Highway was built, prisoner escape attempts became more frequent and signs were posted along the highway instructing motorists not to pick up hitchhikers.
Renovations in Camp Bison
The new $2.6 million Camp Bison was officially opened in a ceremony on June 8, 1960. It accommodated 210 inmates. The name of the camp originated from the numerous wildlife that had been known to roam the property.
The closure of Burwash prison
On July 10, 1974, Ontario Minister of Correctional Services, Richard T. Potter, announced that the Burwash Correctional Centre would close. The cost to run Burwash was deemed too high, outdated equipment would be costly to replace and Burwash's closure would save the provincial government money.
The last day of operation was February 13, 1975. Residents of the estimated 175 townsite houses were told they would have to vacate their homes. Some residences took their homes with them - literally.
In 1977, a Steering Committee was established by the Ontario Government to recommend possible uses for the remaining prison complex and the 35,000 acres of land. This led to the Federal Government purchasing the property in October for $1.8 million dollars.
In July of 1979, the land was leased to the Regional Municipality of Sudbury for a goat farming operation to produce mohair.
In 1990 the government bid on 8000 acres of land to be used for military training. Some of this training involved using explosives to destroy some of the townsite's homes.
How does Burwash prison look Today?
Any buildings left on the site were bulldozed by the government in 1994.
An Ontario Heritage Trust plaque was unveiled at the site on August 6, 2006. Around 2007 the cemetery, overgrown and difficult to find, was cleaned up and a signposted to mark its location. There are an estimated 12-20 prisoners buried here many of whom had no family to bury them properly.
Parts of Burwash are still used by the Department of National Defense for training purposes.
Directions:
If you continue straight from the fork in the road you eventually end up at the railway tracks and a small railway building. Across from the tracks is an old gate and a path that leads to Camp Bison. The walk is appr
ox 3.5 miles but can be accessed by 4x4.
This location has a new owner. His name is Chris. You can still go and explore this site for a small fee. It is so worth it, as it is really, really interesting. The owners run a Resort close to this location. Here is their contact information. (Avalon Eco Resort) Web site https://avalonecoresort.com/ Address and Phone. Avalon Eco Resort 476 Highway 637 Killarney, ON P0M 2A0 (249)-805-0159
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UPDATE-29 MARCH 2023- The owner is still Chris, however 2021 he was land locked by the railway company that has the tracks you would cross to access the prison in the past. They basically told him if anybody was caught crossing the tracks or on the property he would be fined as well as the trespassers arrested. Unless, he paid to have a road built trees cleared etc to avoid crossing the tracks. As of this year he did exactly that. I currently work with him. For further explanation contact him. Happy exploring!
NEW UPDATE - 24 August. 2020 - This location Now has a new owner. His name is Chris. You can still go and explore this site for a small fee. It is so worth it, as it is really, really interesting. The owners run a Resort close to this location. Here is there contact information. (Avalon Eco Resort) Web site https://avalonecoresort.com/ Address and Phone. Avalon Eco Resort 476 Highway 637 Killarney, ON P0M 2A0 (249)-805-0159
Do you still need permission to explore here? I tried to click on the link for the food mission, but it took me to a dead site. I will be in this area next weekend, and would LOVE to check it out!
He gave us the option to take his guided tour or to wander on our own... I imagine he gets pretty excited when people stop in lol.
Yeahhh. He had a tent on the roof, his dog, a garden, and his entire wardrobe and furniture in one corner of the prison lol.
The owner has hired a man to live here and start making people sign waivers and give donations to help them restore the property. Kinda weird.
was in burwash the military part in the early 90's. the left over building were perfect for urban combat training. how to take a building that is defended
How bad is the road to get in there. I am planning on being in the Sudbury area last week of July and would go explore the place. I have a AWD Durango, you think I could go in or I'd have to walk.
Planning on checking this out over the summer. Is it possible to do this in a half day from Sudbury or is it something that really requires an overnight camping trip? Thanks for your advice!
Camping there is such a cool idea. I tried walking there on foot (Yes willing to walk about 8k) but the last bend was flooded from the small lake. For those that are local/frequent, is it normally flooded or usually dry?
Someone like yourself superss?? Camera be damned, all you need is a set of peepers and call it a day!
After almost a lifetime of driving all over hell's half acres for lacrosse & hockey I have become a little less excited of long drives, but this location really looks worth it, even for someone like myself, that is not a photographer.
Made a short video of pics from my few trips here....finally learned how to upload to youtube. It's my first try at making a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o43nJi_Rfmk
Everyone says to get there by 4X4 ...maybe there is something I don't know or another way in? When I went last fall (during hunting season) the road had been dug out at the train tracks... two trenches so deep (5 ft deep) that my Jeep would not have been able to get through... from there is a couple km walk... Is there a better way in or is it just the way it is now?
Went there for a day hike with my wife and son last weekend. We walked it and my little guy kept up lol.....once we got there we seen how badly he building is falling apart. We really wanted to get a pic of the three of us on the Camp Bision sign, but to are surprise it had been destroyed....other than that it was still pretty exciting to see the old history. Watch were you walk because there are
Here are the GPS coordinates to the cemetary 46.234812,-80.852854. When you're there, you'll see an old dirt road that branches off towards the cemetary, just drive in as much as you can and walk the rest of the way (about 10-15mins). As for time of year, I say fall is the best simply because there are less bugs.
I can't wait to become a full member to scope out some of the full member locations to enjoy the history of them! Random question I know, but for the most part I'm assuming summer time exploring is best for the majority of these locations no? Due to flooding/ice/snow...
I can send you a google maps like to the cemetary and map it out for you when I get home later tonight. I'll send you a pm.
@sQualie - I'm definitely going to have to check this place out! I'm thinking a summer time adventure is probably a better idea though, this place seems like it would give some eerie vibes, which would be awesome lol
@that-girl: I went for an overnight camping trip there 3 times last summer and it's great. Easy access if you don't mind the 5km hike in (road is blocked by large cement blocks, only ATVs can get through). There's no security or anything of the sort. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth the detour.
this place looks crazy awesome!!! I'd love to check it out... anyone have any recent experiences here?
I am hoping to go visit the jail this coming weekend, however not sure 100% how to get there. I have googled it, and think I have found the jail but wondering if anyone would be able to provide me accurate directions to get to the jail ( and seems like I wasnt able to find the Burwash road from the highway? Has the entrance changed since the construction started? please email me two.minutes@hotm
The road is actual public :) The properties on either side are not, but the road and fields of Burwash are still actually zoned as public property. The road has obviously not been maintained so yes, trust me, you want decent truck, jeep, or atv. My husband and I WALKED the hour in the mud, puddles, rivers, and swarms of bugs. On the way back I actually threw everything down and started crying hehe
whats the best time (of the week, or month) to go into this place? is there any particular time the army guys use the range? I was passing by on a Saturday, (the 6th of November I believe), and from where i was on Hwy 69, i could see a gray truck speeding down one of the roads. security?
Whats the best way to get into this location? I tried once, however the main road says government property, do not enter. where would I go to get in?
The little white dots are the dust particles picked up by the cameras flash.
I had the priviledge of Walking the roads of Burwash in the early 1990's. What a site. As you left hyw 69 you passed what used to be the guard houses and the warden's house. Further in there was a huge barn with 100's of bags of feed still inside, the hospital portion still intact as well as a beautiful newly built or at least well maintained gym with gorgeous hardwood floors. I was able
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