The Path of Shells [Canon 5D]
St. Thomas, Nevada March 5, 2009
(click in the image for a larger version)
There once was a town in Nevada named St. Thomas. It was located in an arid valley near the Colorado River about an hour's drive (in a modern car) northeast of Las Vegas. The life span of this small town filled the years from 1865 to 1938. In the mid 1930s as nearby Hoover Dam neared completion, the U.S. Government purchased the town and it's residents began to slowly dismantle their homes, pack up their belongings and move away. In 1936 the dam was completed and water began to fill the valleys, canyons, and flood plains behind it, creating Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake and reservoir in the United States. Two years later the rising waters had reached St. Thomas, gradually flooding the town, and on June 11, 1938 Hugh Lord, the last citizen, rowed away. Not long after, the town was completely covered by the waters of Lake Mead. It would eventually be submerged to a depth of 70 feet.
In the early years of this decade receding lake levels casued by years of severe drought and increased water useage by the nearby Las Vegas Valley began to reveal the ruins of St. Thomas. Today the town site is completely exposed, dry as bone and overgrown with thick stands of six foot high tamarisk brush. Narrow paths dotted with shells lead down into the former lake bed and every so often you come across the foundations of a home, a school, or a hotel. It is a strange and mysterious place, ruins from a not so distant 20th century, of a town sacrificed to the thirst and energy needs of an expanding population. In the coming days I will be posting a series of images from my visit to St. Thomas.
For the technically curious, the above image was processed mostly in Lightroom 2, with a little custom toning applied in Photoshop CS4.
National Park Service info on St. Thomas
Lake's Ghost Town Seen as a Warning - Las Vegas Sun
Next Week in South Florida:
My next class on Selections, Masking & Creative Collage will begin on Monday, March 16, in Delray Beach, Florida There's still room if you want to sign up.
Selections, Masking and Creative Collage
Palm Beach Photographic Centre
March 16 - 19, 2009
I also have upcoming workshops n early April in Hawaii, mid April near Morro Bay, California, and late April/early May in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Check out my Workshops Schedule for more information.
