Brooklyn-based photographer Dina Kantor has been observing dramatic changes in both life and landscape in Treece, Kansas since the summer of 2010. Over the past two years, this former mining town officially closed down, its residents relocating elsewhere.
I began to make pictures at a point when the residents of Treece had just been told that the government would fund a buyout to help them escape from living on unstable land. Looking at my lens, their eyes express the hesitation, fear, and, for some, excitement about the future. As time passed, and they packed up their belongings, sadness seemed to overcome many of them. And as I photographed the demolition of city hall just one day after watching the city water tower topple to the ground, I witnessed the once-lush landscape transform into a place that seemed barren and dry.—Dina Kantor
Treece, Kansas, was a thriving mining town during the First and Second World Wars. It’s now been almost entirely abandoned due to major pollution. For …
Treece, Kansas, was a thriving mining town during the First and Second World Wars. It’s now been almost entirely abandoned due to major pollution. For the past two years, the photographer Dina Kantor has been photographing the decline of Treece, accompanied by her sister, Shira, a writer.
