The Last Days of Leonard

@thelastdaysofleonard

The photography herein is that of Chris Gillis, unless noted. Visit chrisgillis.com for more and contact details. Thanks! var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-18747740-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

114 posts

Posts

COVID CLEANOUT: Expiration dates at ‘09 and ‘14. After forever of having this stuff in the fridge, it’s finally on it’s way out. The map is from the early 1900s of the #imperialvalley and #saltonsea, where I shot my last rolls of film in 2010 or so, yet unscanned, too. I no long XTOL it’s virtues. #filmisnotdead #filmisdead (at Salton Sea) https://www.instagram.com/p/CACP4zvJ2sd/?igshid=1giee773kkg72

#imperialvalley #saltonsea #filmisnotdead #filmisdead

Dixie Valley, Nevada, triptych, 2015.

Having some of the best artesian springs in Nevada, the Dixie Valley had a long tradition of ranching for a small number of families in the remote valley. However, in the 1980s, the Cold War expansion of military control over Nevada’s public lands saw the US Navy force the residents out and buy out the ranches–eventually burning most structures to prevent scavenging. Today, many of the ranches are fenced off as protected archeological sites, despite the continued military training. The valley is open to the public, but the ranching traditions are replaced with flyover airspace and a scattering of mock warfare installations.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Great Basin #Nevada #Fallon #Naval Air Station #ranching #American West #photographers on tumblr #artists on tumblr

Dixie Valley, Nevada, diptych, 2015.

Having some of the best artesian springs in Nevada, the Dixie Valley had a long tradition of ranching for a small number of families in the remote valley. However, in the 1980s, the Cold War expansion of military control over Nevada’s public lands saw the US Navy force the residents out and buy out the ranches–eventually burning most structures to prevent scavenging. Today, many of the ranches are fenced off as protected archeological sites, despite the continued military training. The valley is open to the public, but the ranching traditions are replaced with flyover airspace and a scattering of mock warfare installations.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#American West #Dixie Valley #Nevada #Fallon #Fallon NAS #Naval Air Station #Great Basin #photographers on tumblr #artists on tumblr

Dixie Valley, Nevada, diptych, 2015.

Having some of the best artesian springs in Nevada, the Dixie Valley had a long tradition of ranching for a small number of families in the remote valley. However, in the 1980s, the Cold War expansion of military control over Nevada’s public lands saw the US Navy force the residents out and buy out the ranches--eventually burning most structures to prevent scavenging. Today, many of the ranches are fenced off as protected archeological sites, despite the continued military training. The valley is open to the public, but the ranching traditions are replaced with flyover airspace and a scattering of mock warfare installations.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Nevada #Fallon Naval Air Station #Fallon NAS #Dixie Valley #Great Basin #American West #Public Lands #ranching #artists on tumblr #photographers on tumblr

Dixie Valley and the Stillwater Range, Nevada, 2015. Click to enbiggen!

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Great Basin #Nevada #Dixie Valley #Stillwater Range #Basin and Range #American West #photographers on tumblr #artists on tumblr

The Black Rock Desert and Black Rock City in moonlight, triptych, 2015.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Burning Man #Burning Man 2015 #Black Rock Desert #Nevada #Great Basin #American West #Desert #night sky #star trails #artists on tumblr #photographers on tumblr

In October, 1963, Project Shoal detonated a nuclear test in the Sand Spring Range east of Fallon, Nevada. It was one of the few mainland nuclear tests outside the Nevada Test Site and is open without restriction to the public. The depth of the blast was above the elevation of the surrounding valleys, leaving a significant potential for contamination seeping into the water table below.

The scars of the test and, mainly, it’s ongoing monitoring can be seen on the site today. Here, a monitoring well is one of several across the site. There are wells of several ages as monitoring needs have shifted over time—showing how our understanding the problems these test pose today and into the future.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Project Shoal #Nuclear Testing #Nevada #Great Basin #American West #photographers on tumblr #Fallon

In October, 1963, Project Shoal detonated a nuclear test in the Sand Spring Range east of Fallon, Nevada. It was one of the few mainland nuclear tests outside the Nevada Test Site and is open without restriction to the public. The depth of the blast was above the elevation of the surrounding valleys, leaving a significant potential for contamination seeping into the water table below.

A puff piece newsreel was produced promoting the test as a beneficial and benign. Some great views of a Fallon that is long gone, however.

#Project Shoal #Nuclear Testing #Nevada #Great Basin #American West #Cold War #Fallon

Night over Fourmile Flat and Fallon, Nevada, 2015.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Great Basin #American West #Nevada #desert #night sky #photographers on tumblr

Graves of unidentified immigrant graves in an undeveloped portion of Evergreen Cemetery, El Centro, California.

For those that die in the desert while crossing the border in Imperial County, they can end up in unmarked graves after the identification process turns up no indications of their identity, home towns, country of origin, etc. Headstones are cement bricks with only numbers, buried in particle board coffins that collapse over time.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Imperial Valley #Salton Sea #Migrant Deaths #grave #American West #desert #Colorado Desert

The Black Rock Desert and Black Rock City, Diptych, 2015.

Image © Chris Gillis. More at thelastdaysofleonard.com

#Burning Man #Burning Man 2015 #Black Rock City #Black Rock Desert #Nevada #Great Basin #American West #Desert

Pauper and undocumented immigrant graves in an undeveloped portion of Evergreen Cemetery, El Centro, California.

For those that die in the desert while crossing the border in Imperial County, they can end up in unmarked graves after the identification process turns up no indications of their identity, home towns, country of origin, etc. Headstones are cement bricks with only numbers, buried in particle board coffins that collapse over time.