Dest. 1,458'

Devil's Lake Project, 2012 by Mark Thomas Lanning

Scenes From Minnewaukan: July Issue of “Under the Gum Tree”

Fourteen images from the Minnewaukan, ND area have now been published in photo essay form in the small magazine Under the Gum Tree for its July issue. All told that’s 28 pages, and I’m thankful to them for publishing every picture I sent them. You can buy the magazine in digital form for $4.99, or in print for $22, you can also obtain both for $25 here or through their site, underthegumtree.com/. Below are some low-res versions of the spreads. My thanks to Natana Prudhomme and the editors at Under the Gum Tree.

Child’s Fort Version. One of many versions of this. Un-spotted, still editing, etc. The version printed in the magazine was shot the day before, when I found it, with the 7D because I thought it was going to rain (I didn’t even bring the 4x5). After filling up my card that day I came back the next, got a half dozen on film. I was able to pick up more blue in the lake that day. Shortly after this I took the photos of Allan, who was buzzing around in his trailer-equipt 4-wheeler picking up junk (he took the bike).

Off Hwy. 19, Ramsey County.

Basement mural in Minnewaukan. Several photos from Minnewaukan will appear in photo essay form in a small magazine called Under the Gum Tree. I’ll have a link to the issue soon. You can check out their website now @ http://underthegumtree.com/ — Basement mural in Minnewaukan. Several photos from Minnewaukan will appear in photo essay form in a small magazine called Under the Gum Tree. I’ll have a link to the issue soon. You can check out their website now @ http://underthegumtree.com/

Shoreline field.

Slowly these three are removing Minnewaukan from the shores of Devils Lake. (R-L) Laris, Ross, Mike. Alternate shot of these home-movers who, as Ann told me, “are pretty much the only game in town.”

IOOF Hall in downtown Devils Lake. Built in 1889, oldest building that’s not a church. Devils Lake was a boomtown in its day thanks to the first two waves of Homesteading in the 1880’s and early 1900’s. Since WWI more or less,things had been pretty stable, aside from the expansion of the lake in recent years. Those Coca-Cola ads appear on older building all around downtown, a touch from the middle third of the last century.

Lost home off highway 19.

Minnewaukan was the most vulnerable town in the area by far. Even so there weren’t many visible signs of frustration, aside perhaps from this.

Leftovers in Minnewaukan.

Enrique, 53, who introduced himself as Henry. We met on my way west toward home. He had been on the bus for three days, headed to Williston from Florida. I was able to fill him in on what I knew about Williston from my time in town. He had no place to stay when he got there.

Flickertail Village Museum. Old North Dakota as an attraction, with new housing being erected in the background. Stanley, ND.

Tan Master: Tans Faster at the Minnie H. Cleaning Center. The mix of single construction worker types doing their laundry & women scuffling through to the Tan Master with their daughters was quite a sight.

@LBM has a “White Noise” moment in Ohio.:
magnumohio:

Abandoned day care center. Dover, Ohio
In the middle of our longest stretch on the road in Ohio, we decided to duck into the town of Dover to see if we could find anything to shoot or anyone to talk to. As we drove down one abandoned street after another, we had the growing suspicion that something was wrong. “It’s like Three Mile Island,” one of us said out loud, and we all laughed. After fifteen or so minutes, though, the desolate vacuum feel of the place started to feel sort of oppressive and creepy. The town seemed to be utterly paralyzed. Finally, while trolling down an alley, we encountered a man and a little boy batting a badminton birdie back and forth across a clothes line. The boy was maybe eight years old and had a mohawk. We pulled over and I asked them where everyone was.
“There’s been a chemical spill,” the man said, and the boy raised his arms dramatically and added, “It was flaming ball of death. They closed the schools.”
Further investigation revealed that there had, in fact, been a spill of Dipropylene Glycol at the local Dover Chemical Company that resulted in the release of a vapor cloud that was visible for miles. Interstate 77 was closed for four hours in both directions between New Philadelphia and Bolivar, and an automatic phone alert was sent to area residents advising them to stay inside, close all windows, and turn off air conditioners.
The all clear was sounded at two p.m. — @LBM has a “White Noise” moment in Ohio.:

magnumohio:

Abandoned day care center. Dover, Ohio

In the middle of our longest stretch on the road in Ohio, we decided to duck into the town of Dover to see if we could find anything to shoot or anyone to talk to. As we drove down one abandoned street after another, we had the growing suspicion that something was wrong. “It’s like Three Mile Island,” one of us said out loud, and we all laughed. After fifteen or so minutes, though, the desolate vacuum feel of the place started to feel sort of oppressive and creepy. The town seemed to be utterly paralyzed. Finally, while trolling down an alley, we encountered a man and a little boy batting a badminton birdie back and forth across a clothes line. The boy was maybe eight years old and had a mohawk. We pulled over and I asked them where everyone was.

“There’s been a chemical spill,” the man said, and the boy raised his arms dramatically and added, “It was flaming ball of death. They closed the schools.”

Further investigation revealed that there had, in fact, been a spill of Dipropylene Glycol at the local Dover Chemical Company that resulted in the release of a vapor cloud that was visible for miles. Interstate 77 was closed for four hours in both directions between New Philadelphia and Bolivar, and an automatic phone alert was sent to area residents advising them to stay inside, close all windows, and turn off air conditioners.

The all clear was sounded at two p.m.

Beef, Devils Lake. Bed of a truck parked at the Minnie H. Cleaning Center (car wash, laundry, tanning)