In another time, pioneering farmers lived in these houses and kept them cozy and inviting.
Hard times and the elements have changed the sheltering homesteads to cold windswept shells. In some cases, after the original farmers eventually died, their children, having seen their parents’ hard work, opted for an easier life away from this lonely prairie.
On a previous trip to Montana, the Captain and I saw many old homesteads.
“Let’s skedaddle,” the pheasants cluck. “I think these might be hunters. The locals welcome them, but I find them downright annoying, if not dangerous.”
“Did I hear you say the ‘H’ word?” the white-tailed deer asks. Then he shakes his head and goes back to his browsing. “It’s birds they’re after. I don’t think they’re here for me … are they? Hmm, maybe I’d better run too.”
“You’d do better to be careful, Whitey,” the Harris sparrow warbles. “And by the way, watch your step.”
“The prickly pear isn’t named for its smooth skin. Those spines can really hurt.”
“Oh, what a fuss,” the robin sings. “I was enjoying the last days of autumn sunshine in this Russian olive tree. Why did they have to talk about hunters? They don’t bother me! Mrs. Hunter just wanders around with her camera. I show her my best side, and she goes home happy.”
November 16, 2019 at 3:25 pm
There is a lot of beauty in your photos of the decaying homes. Sad to see them in this state, but that is life’s circle.
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November 16, 2019 at 4:28 pm
It’s something we see very little of on the coast and yet there are so many of these old homes still standing in the interior. Partly the dry air, I think, and partly that life is so harsh there, that more of these desertions came about.
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November 16, 2019 at 3:53 pm
Whenever I see abandoned homes, I can’t help but wonder about the stories left inside.
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November 16, 2019 at 4:28 pm
Exactly, Jill! I often wonder that too. Each one has a story.
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November 16, 2019 at 4:48 pm
Your pictures make me wonder what our old farm looks like. I haven’t been there in about 45 years. Looking at these pictures makes me think I don’t ever want to go back.
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November 16, 2019 at 4:55 pm
It would probably be sad to go back and look at it, but I’d be curious. It’s never how you think it’s going to be, and usually it’s worse than you imagine because your good memories are in your head, and not in the structure, and your bad ones would be triggered by seeing it. That’s my shrink opinion for the day. 😉 Free of charge.
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November 17, 2019 at 3:07 am
Comparable to the state/cycle of humanity 😦
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November 17, 2019 at 9:12 am
Yes, it certainly is, Hans.
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November 17, 2019 at 9:42 am
Looking at the old homesteads, I wonder how ours look like today. The log cabin is probably still okay but the others?
I love all the pictures you took, each one is a beauty!
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November 17, 2019 at 9:49 am
I think the climate up in the Charlottes is much harder on wooden structures than the prairie climate is. I’ve seen many cars and trucks rust out in a couple of years in the Charlottes while in the prairies, their farm trucks stand for decades in much better condition. It’s dry there, and there isn’t the salt from the ocean air to rust things. In the case of the houses, you don’t get the mold and dampness and rot. Thanks for your comment, Ursula. It would be interesting to see how your old place is doing.
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November 17, 2019 at 6:40 pm
There’s something so melancholy about these abandoned homes yet lovely too. Wonderful photos all around.
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November 17, 2019 at 6:51 pm
That’s how I feel too, Belinda. Maybe that’s why I always feel drawn to photographing them (even though we’re whizzing past on the highway). I’m usually calling out, “Oh Look at that one.” Snap.
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November 18, 2019 at 7:47 am
Those empty shells looked like they might’ve been nice homesteads at one time. I can imagine being in the middle of nowhere why people might opt to leave, especially with harsh winters.
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November 18, 2019 at 9:28 am
It must have been so hard. No TV or internet, but worse yet would be no doctor nearby if anyone got sick. It would be hard in the winter if you had to go into town (miles and miles away) through the snow in the bitter cold, to go get help for something like strep throat and then find that there are no antibiotics to fix it up anyway. And groceries? You’d get tired of eating out of your root cellar. A hard, hard life.
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November 19, 2019 at 5:20 am
Wonderful photos! The abandoned homesteads beg to have their stories told and your nature shots are brilliant. I’m spending time today doing some long overdue catching up!
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November 19, 2019 at 7:52 am
I see that you are doing a catch up. Good to see you here, Patricia.
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