Modena, Utah
POPULATION: 16
For those of you who have followed my last few posts showing the paradise that is Moorea, (which is part of French Polynesia), this set of photos will be a stark contrast!!
About a week ago, I drug, (dragged?), Jeff on a day ride out in the southern Utah country near the Nevada border. We happened on what we thought was a small western 'ghost' town, out in the middle of nowhere. We soon discovered there were a few residents (16 we found out), still living there.
After we came home, I looked up the history of Modena. It was a railroad town and sprung up as a stopping point for the cowboys and miners in the late 1800s. Below are a few of the buildings that have seen better days.
The above photos are of the largest building still standing. The lettering is still visible and the proprietor of this general store and hotel is B. J. Lund. I learned that he was the main founder of the town and had buildings and roads named after him. This was interesting to me as my maiden name is Lund, and my father's family were among the early pioneers in Utah. I am not aware of any relative named Brigham J. Lund, but who knows.
I think we missed our 'last chance'!
Above are homes of a few former residents.
From a photographic point of view, I
prefer to take photos of old west scenes in the winter with drab neutral
colors which emphasize the look of abandonment and loneliness. I was
in luck and had a beautiful, puffy cloud day which was a great contrast
to the neutral colors of the buildings and landscape.
Abandoned vehicles add texture and interest for photography, and are reminders that children went to school, and people lived and worked in this tiny barren and windswept prairie town.
14 comments:
What a great place to have stumbled across! The photos are fabulous...the skies are gorgeous too!
I love places like this.. a photographer's paradise. I agree winter adds to their charm.
You captured so much in your images.. a story unfolded, of life as it was.
Wonderful series, I enjoyed immensely.
Beautiful images, old and rusty Karen.
I love all things WESTERN. these are wonderful and i prefer all of this over the beautiful islands. would rather visit this place than the beaches. we have all the beaches we want here, but nothing like this. will save this to show hubby the truck
forgot to say, they could put the entire population in one of these buildings.
Image #9 is worth a million dollars. I hope you share it with your local art museum. Kudos. Loved them all. Made me a little homesick for my West Texas origins.
What a great find. I'll have to check this area out someday. Usually when I come out of Nevada it is further north on Hwy 50. Great photos.
Ooooh wow!!! What a fantastic ghost town. You captured it beautifully, and I absolutely love it! It would be so great for filming a movie in...Ah, I can just hear the scary music...the protagonists finding a good hideout, and then the bad guys marching in to town. Apparently I think of other things than the joyful children on their way to school, but you have a good point--once the town was full of life!
Karen, you did an excellent job of portraying these wonderful old buildings! The place must be well off the beaten path as it looks fairly pristine! Nice job!
I love the look you've captured of these old buildings and vehicles. What a happy and beautiful find.
such a neat 'ghost town'!
Love these photos Karen. It makes me want to go there and do some exploring.
These are the kind of places I love to discover and take a million photos of. Enjoyed all your images!
You caught the mood well with the drab colours.
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