An urban explorer stumbled upon a small, rotting ghost town in rural Canada: it’s home to forgotten houses, a school, and even a church.
The former town of Insinger in Saskatchewan is now just a collection of abandoned buildings that were once the center of a small Ukrainian community, where hundreds of people lived.
It was founded in 1898 and almost 100 years later, in 1981, the settlement still had a population of 805 people; This number dropped to just 315 inhabitants in 2016 and is now an empty village, with no one in sight.
Ontario photographer Dave, known online as Freaktography, stumbled upon the rural community and was shocked by what he found, sharing the images with his 88,500 YouTube subscribers.
He recalled: “There were a lot of abandoned buildings scattered everywhere. There was a Ukrainian church that was very small.
An Ontario urban explorer has discovered a spooky abandoned ghost town left to rot in rural Canada.
‘There was some graffiti, there were no windows, but it was very pretty. There were a lot of buildings, houses and a small post office.
“There was a school that wasn’t in very good condition; everything was falling apart and I couldn’t get very far.”
Originally founded as the town of Lawrie in 1898, the rural settlement later changed its name to Insinger in 1907.
It grew into a small prosperous community, and many of its inhabitants were of Ukrainian descent.
The now ghost town is located just off Saskatchewan Highway 16, Yellowhead, in southeastern Saskatchewan.
Population decline, caused by an economic shift as well as improved transportation to larger areas, led to its population slowly declining.
Its last population count in 2016 revealed that there were only 315 inhabitants, according to the Population Census, this had reduced from 805 in 1981.
Now it is completely abandoned, and only curious explorers and photographers like Dave stop by to catch a glimpse of its past.
It is not the only city in the area to suffer this fate: throughout Saskatchewan there are 140 ghost towns, many of which were abandoned during the 20th century.
The ancient town of Insinger in Saskatchewan is home to forgotten houses, a post office, a school and even a Ukrainian church with a domed spire.
Urban explorer and photographer Dave, known online as Freaktography, stumbled upon the rural community and was shocked by what he found – sharing the images with his 88,500 YouTube subscribers.
Pictured: The Insinger School, which the sign says closed in 1967.
Pictured: Insinger in the 1950s, before it was abandoned.
There were abandoned houses considered dangerous to enter, as well as an unoccupied post office.
The school (above) was “not in very good condition” and “falling apart” so Dave had difficulty getting in
The explorer found an old schoolhouse that was in dangerous condition after being left to rot over the years.
Rooms that were once classrooms filled with children are now filled with collapsed wood and the floors are littered with trash.
In Insinger’s haunting video, Dave began by filming the church and panning his camera across the ancient city to show that there was not a soul in sight, just empty fields stretching into the distance.
Although the church appeared to be in good condition from the outside, inside it was dilapidated, with debris and trash scattered everywhere.
The now ghost town is located just off Saskatchewan Highway 16, Yellowhead in southeastern Saskatchewan.
In Insinger’s haunting video, Dave began by filming the church and panning his camera across the ancient city to show that there was not a soul in sight, just empty fields stretching into the distance.
Although the church appeared to be in good condition from the outside, inside it was dilapidated, with debris and trash scattered everywhere.
Some of the ceiling tiles had fallen off and the carpet was half torn from the floor.
Although the religious icons, such as the golden crosses and works of art, as well as the blue tile roof, remained frozen in time.
The explorer found an old schoolhouse that was in dangerous condition after being left to rot over the years.
Rooms that used to be classrooms filled with children are now littered with collapsed wood and the floor strewn with trash.
There were abandoned houses considered dangerous to enter, as well as an unoccupied post office.
One building, marked ‘Insinger Water Works’, appeared to remain largely untouched since the last person walked through the door.
Some of the ceiling tiles had fallen off and the carpet was half torn from the floor.
Speaking of the church, Dave said: “There was some graffiti, there were no windows, but it was very pretty.”
Although religious icons such as the golden crosses and artwork, as well as the blue tile roof, remained frozen in time.
Originally founded as the town of Lawrie in 1898, the rural settlement later changed its name to Insinger in 1907.
There were also abandoned houses considered dangerous to enter (above), as well as an unoccupied post office.
One building, marked ‘Insinger Water Works’, appeared to remain largely untouched since the last person walked through the door.
In the picture: the interior of the Ukrainian church in the abandoned town of Insinger.
On one side of the abandoned church there were graffiti scrawls.
Most of the buildings’ windows are broken or missing.
The church has a vibrant blue roof, which is still largely intact.
Now, Insinger is completely abandoned, with only curious explorers and photographers like Dave stopping to catch a glimpse of its past.
After The Forgotten City was shared on YouTube, viewers were quick to comment.
One user wrote: “Saskatchewan has the most beautiful abandoned churches.”
A second added: “That’s so sad,” and a third wrote: “Nice church.” I wonder why it’s a ghost town. School is dangerous. It’s sad to see Dave.
Someone else wrote: “It’s nice to know the city will be remembered in the movie.” I would pronounce it ‘in-sing-er’.
‘My favorite town in SK was Herbert. I’m glad you didn’t try to get into that house.
Meanwhile, another fan commented: ‘I love the old prairies and ghost towns of northern Ontario. Guy from Ontario here.