Spaces of the Past
"Who plundered those wide open spaces of the past, and how can we get them back?" [1] Just down the gravel trail mainline from the US89 crossing, the depot at Ringling stands next to the old right of way. This picture dates from 2003, more than 20 years following the demise of the Milwaukee Road. Now, an additional 10 years have passed, and as noted in the comments to the prior post, the power lines are gone. These old telegraphy poles that stood in the lush grasses of this early summer day have faired no better. The gaping windows of the abandoned depot seem to suggest that the building itself has defied all expectation. Even the photograph speaks of a different time and an old technology: the vibrant colors of Fuji's Velvia slide film are difficult to replicate, even in this day of modern technology and digital processing. In the intervening decades from mainline to gravel road, there has been an onslaught of technology and progress. In the...