With Fiborn already limping along, 1935 signaled end times, remaining idle for much of the year. Hope was dashed in January of 1936, when after not even a month of work, Fiborn shut down for one last time. The closure is ultimately attested to Algoma Steel finding cheaper and higher quality limestone elsewhere. Furthermore, the site was so isolated and shipping had become so much cheaper that it wasn’t financially worth it.

So when news broke, the neighboring village emptied out. Superintendent Lynn Brockway oversaw the removal of equipment for a few other projects till the mid 1940s, like limestone extractions for the Mackinac bridge. But after that, occasional contractors would come in with their own equipment or locals would take truckloads of gravel or stone. Besides that, it was deserted. Until 1987.