Category Archives: Fallen Farms

23,000 and we’ve got another man down, Dude

Posted on by
Reply


While perusing a road along Highway 3 a couple of weekends ago I spotted what I deem a tragedy: the head of an old windmill lying battered and broken in the grass. As you may have deduced by now, I have a soft spot for these old windmills…and when I see the wreckage of one I consider it a loss, both historically and photographically.

This particular windmill had company; there was plenty of old machinery and other interesting stuff lying about, and I was able to peruse much of it with my camera while staying on my side of the fence (and No Trespassing signs). Some of them are going to be a lot of fun to play with in Photoshop, so they’ll have to wait to be posted until later.

Oh, I almost forgot: the reason I mention the number 23,000 in this post’s title is because the first photo above is the 23,000th photo I’ve taken with my Canon 7D. Still less than half of what I have taken with my other camera. No worries…we’ll get there eventually, but of course by that time the other Canon will have left 57,000 in the dust as well!

Broken connection #7

Posted on by
Reply

These short little utility poles, or what’s left of them, occupy an overgrown field near the site of a long-gone farmstead in Kidder County. I found myself wandering the section lines, shore lines, and gravel roads on and around a friend’s property after my plans to visit Cavalier Air Force Station fell through at the last minute.

This was a weekend of worry, answered prayer, joy, and some much needed roaming. I had an extremely fruitful photo trip on Saturday, allowing me to clear my head and stuff some nice images into my camera. I’ll be posting them here over the next few days. Here’s to a glorious week!

Oh, and belated Happy Birthdays to Sammy Hagar and former KFYR-TV meteorologist Mike McVay!

Rainy day redux

Posted on by
Reply

Last weekend I took quite the soggy (and muddy) road trip with my cameras. While I did the majority of my shooting southwest of Mandan, I actually began north of Wilton. You may recognize this (especially if you’re a photographer) as a familiar old barn north of Wilton a few miles on Highway 83. Sadly, it has now collapsed. It was intact enough, however, to grant me this really nice shot – the streaks of falling rain are more apparent in front of the opening on the full sized version. It may not even look collapsed at all, if you’re not familiar with this structure.

Here’s how it looked just a short while ago. Notice the stone addition on its east side, which is now completely collapsed and gone. While the barn looks intact, it’s actually several feet shorter. Bummer. As you can see, it’s a very photogenic piece of work, and I’m sure it attracts lots of photographers. I for one continue to visit it from time to time and document its eventual demise. In some ways it seems to get even more photogenic with age.

I don’t know what it is, but I wouldn’t want my finger stuck in it

Posted on by
Reply

North Dakota has some characteristic features dotted across its varied landscape, and aside from my favorite windmills and wellheads I have to admit I have a soft spot for old farm equipment. This particular piece looks pretty wild, with chains and gears and levers and pullies and stuff like that. Note the absence of safety guards on everything… that was a different era. Nowadays there are plenty of people who wouldn’t go near something like this without a tetanus shot!

Broken connection #6

Posted on by
Reply

Looks like the end of an era along this stretch of road near Regan. These wires have actually been disconnected for a while, but this is the best opportunity I have had to stop and get the right photo of them. The sun, sky, and green fields were all in perfect form for this shot, and I was there on one of the motorcycles with a camera to take advantage of the good fortune!

Here’s one for you: even those these lines have clearly been in place long enough to perform their intended service to the point of becoming obsolete, there are still federal subsidy programs in place from the 1930s to provide telephone and electric connections to rural areas. Once a federal program like that comes to life, look out: you’re probably going to pay for it forever.

We’ve got a man down, Dude

Posted on by
Reply

So there I was, working this abandoned farmstead with my camera along with my good friend Ken…when I noticed something right in front of me that had escaped my attention the entire time I’d been there: a windmill. You’d think that, with my penchant for photographing old windmills, it would have been the first thing I’d have found; however, this one was lying face-up in the grass at least a hundred feet from where one would expect to find it.

It would be interesting to find out the story behind this…the absence of twisted metal leads one to believe it was removed and not torn asunder by the prairie wind. It wasn’t talking, but I’m glad it did manage somehow to attract my gaze so I could try a few angles for my “Fallen Farms” series.

You’ll probably interpret this picture one of two ways

Posted on by
Reply

This farmstead sits just southeast of Center, with a pretty close view of the power plant to the east. Hat tip goes to my friend Cathy who spotted it and described its location for me to find. I haven’t had much time to go exploring the old section line roads these days, but hopefully I’ll get more time over the summer now that we’re not in a flood fight.

On one hand, a person could look at this photo with disdain and lament the loss of a family farm. Understandable, but in this case I like to consider the progress of North Dakota’s energy industry, one I’ve loved to champion for many years now. We have abundant resources and the ingenuity to brainstorm new ways to use them more wisely and cleanly. If you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward (or so they say).

In case you thought I ran out of Northern Lights photos…I haven’t (with lurking Cougar)

Posted on by
Reply

With permission, I was able to roam an amazing old farmstead for the last huge solar blast, shooting time lapses and stills until nearly four in the morning. I didn’t even get to explore every corner of the yard, but I did get an amazing variety of shots…even though I’ve never seen the place in the daylight to scout it out! For instance, the shot above shows a stoic Rumely Oil Pull kerosene-burning tractor…facing south, it appears oblivious to the amazing lightshow taking place behind it.

This rustic garage is home to a few noteworthy artifacts, the most obvious being the 1971-1973 Mercury Cougar peeking around the corner at me. Once again, with the rainbow colored sheets of light shooting across the northern sky, this is a bad time to be stuck on blocks inside the garage.

I’ll continue to roll out Northern Lights photos from time to time, but hopefully I’ll be able to acquire even more in the near future! We’re approaching the peak of the solar maximum, so I expect this to be a very interesting summer. With any luck we’ll have plenty of opportunities for photos like these!

Little house on the prairie

Posted on by
Reply

Talk about some cramped quarters! I spotted this little shack along an old county road, as usual. I caught some nice, warm sunshine and beautiful blue skies before the cold and snow came rolling in. I’m thankful for the snow, to be sure, but we in our house are ready for spring to arrive. After this week’s predicted storms, March is sure to deliver plenty more weather changes.

Lean into it

Posted on by
Reply

Today’s music reference blog post title comes from the Mr. Big album. This farm sits north of town and was a point of interest for my youngest boy and me a short while ago. We couldn’t go near, but of course I have a loooooong lens for situations like that.

I have a strict rule about obeying posted NO TRESPASSING SIGNS (and the law) when out on these photo hunts. I’ve found that if I discover a place where I want to take my camera, locating that sign and calling the landowner listed thereon will result in an invitation to proceed. Only once have I reached some drunk jackhole who thought it’d be fun to be rude, swear, and insult me rather than simply say “No.”

If you are into photography, I suggest the same diligence when out with your cameras. It only takes one wandering uninvited photographer to tick off a landowner to the point of never allowing anyone on their property. Ask a hunter how that works out.