Butedale is a ghost town on Princess Royal Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1911 as a fishing, mining and logging camp. Initially the salmon cannery was established by Western Packers which was purchased and operated by the Canadian Fishing Company until it ceased operating in the 1970s. At its peak, Butedale's summertime population was over 400.
A post office was opened there in 1917, and closed on March 4, 1974.[1]
There is a small dam which generates power from Butedale Lake immediately behind the town. Impressive Butedale Falls flows out of the lake into the ocean immediately to the right of the wharves. The Butedale Founders Association talked about restoring the town but it is quickly falling to ruin.
It is a popular point of interest for cruise ship and ferry passengers sailing the Inside Passage of British Columbia. The site is accessible by boat, floatplane or helicopter.