Submerged Farm

Webster, SD

In 1998 there was heavy snow all winter, followed by a very cool and rainy year. All of the ancient depressions left by massive chunks of glaciers filled with water, creating many new lakes. One of these had a dairy farm in it. The house, barn, and other buildings were submerged in water up to 12 feet deep. After two years of asking, the owner gave me permission to walk out on the ice and take photos. I placed my Chamonix 4x5, lenses 90/135/180/300mm, and six holders loaded with Ilford FP4+ on a plastic toboggan and walked a quarter mile out on the lake to take these shots over the next three hours.

Since learning how to process my own film my photography has improved. I've also been turning to my Chamonix for virtually every weekend outing now.


Kent in SD

good work

Kent,

Really nice work!

Very nice!

Perchance is that at or near Devil’s Lake?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Nodda Duma

Very nice!

Perchance is that at or near Devil’s Lake?

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It's about the same distance west but is about 150 miles south. Devil's Lake is in North Dakota and is also a glacial lake. It has grown very, very large. These lakes (there are thousands) were made when huge sheets of ice became stranded as the glacier retreated. Their immense weight pushed them deep into the thawing ground, creating depressions. Many of these remained full of water for thousands of years. Some slowly dried and the soil that remained is very fertile. That attracted farmers in the 1880s through today. When the region went into a wet period 1998 to about 2010 the dry depressions once again filled with water. These lakes are so new they have no outlet and the water could slowly continue to rise until it finds one. Over the past twenty years they have expanded and shrunk depending on how much moisture was received. Once you learn how to recognize glacial features in the landscape here you gain a whole new sense of awe.


Kent in SD

Very cool, thanks. The topic actually came up in a bar conversation about 15 years ago and all I remember was “flooded farms”, “Devil’s Lake” and “Dakota”.

Funny I can remember that slice but couldn’t find my dang keys this morning.

Spot-on about glacial features. The glaciers are the reason for all the stone walls here in New England as well as other natural features.

Well done!
Thank you for sharing.

Nice images, and a good story!

An astonishing subject and haunting photographs. Well done!