If The Walls Could Talk

In my travels of photographing the wildlife of North America, I am on the constant watch for old abandoned buildings that show their age and have continued to withstand time despite being subject to the elements.  Each has a beauty of it's own unique style of construction and their aging process. As a youngster, I vividly recall one of my fathers sayings whenever he saw a home built of bricks.  "When you build a house of wood, you are building a home but when you build a house of brick, you are building a monument."  When photographing these old buildings, I can't help but wonder about the individuals that lived there.  To know their history would be so fascinating and at the same time, you have to wonder to yourself why they chose that particular location to build and live.  Each of these old buildings, would have so many stories to tell, if the walls could talk.

 

"Homestead Cabin" ~ Ohlson Mountain ~ Homer., Alaska

 

 I utilized the front yard of this unique "Rock House" in Northern Nevada to camp while photographing Desert Big Horn Sheep.  It is located about thirty miles off the main highway.   A small corral was located on the property.  The cabin was located directly under a large rock cliff.  The best that guess I could make that perhaps at one time it was a gold miners home.

 

"A House Of Rock and Earthen Roof"

Perhaps the reason this home site was selected is that it was the only location in this area that trees were located, indicating the presence of water in barren badlands of North Dakota. Perhaps, it was a "line shack" utilized when grazing cattle during the summer months.

 

"Line Shack"



 

Barn of Wood and Silo of Brick in Nebraska.  I am sure that this was a farmers pride, the quality of construction of the "Brick Silo" was amazing.  Some old hand plows and rotten harnesses were located in the barn, leftovers of a farmers dream.  A short distance from the barn were the signs of a second structure that had been destroyed by fire. Again, only assuming that it was the house, after the loss of the house did the farmer give up their farm or perhaps they two were lost in the fire.

 

"Farmers Pride"   

 

Although now grey with age and abandoned, this barn and the home that has since fallen with age is all all that remains of a farmers dream in the prairies of Nebraska.

 

"Prairie Farm" 

 

Discovered this little cabin nestled in the Aspen Trees in Northern, Colorado.  The cabin is open to the nature, however, some remnants remained in the form of a table and hand hewn lumber bunk beds.  The sole source of cooking and heating was a rock fireplace.   At first glance, I thought perhaps it would have been ideal hideout for the outlaw gangs of yesteryear.  However, just down the hill was a beautiful small stream (Pictured Below) which looked like you could walk alongside and pick up "Gold Nuggets" so once again I am assuming that this was perhaps a gold miners home.

 

"Cabin In The Quakies"



 

Wooden Grain Elevator in Eastern Montana.  The uniqueness of this particular elevator is that there were living quarters in the lowest part of the building, assuming that the owner of the elevator utilized it as a business to hold the grain harvest for neighboring farmers until the end of the harvest.  Then shipped it out by train since the railroad is visible behind the elevator.  I am guessing that the owner would buy the grain from the farmer then hold it until the market prices increased, then sell it to the exchange.  The only current occupants was a flock of pigeons.

 

"Storing The Harvest"