Night photography gallery: Kinkaid NV mining ruins

Long exposure of trucks and mining equipment in Kinkaid Nevada -- by Joe Reifer
Long exposure of trucks and mining equipment in Kinkaid Nevada -- by Joe Reifer

Kinkaid is a small mining outpost just south of Hawthorne, Nevada on Highway 95. Sometimes spelled Kincaid or Kinkead, these roadside ruins apparently began as a railroad siding in the 1880's. Now the site contains 2 houses, 10 vehicles, a workshop, and old mining equipment. Troy Paiva and I photographed Kinkaid on a stormy summer night in 2010. The site was clearly abandoned and we drove right in. As the sun set, a storm moved in. Photographing that night was difficult because the full moon was hidden by the clouds of a summer monsoon. We were able to shoot for a few hours, and eventually got rained out around midnight. Troy made an incredible lightning photo during that trip.

Last month Troy, Gabriel Biderman, and I visited Kinkaid. There is now heavy equipment being stored on site, and a trailer with a large generator running. We arrived after dark and didn't want to bother anyone who might be living in the trailer. One of the houses had burned down since our last visit, and the Dodge van had been flipped over. Unlike our last trip, the skies were clear and the stars were bright. Compare the look of the photos taken in drastically different weather conditions in this gallery of night photographs of Kinkaid.

Previous
Previous

Alcatraz prison at night: Ghost dance in a haunted cell block

Next
Next

Postcards from the desert: Prospectors and dune buggies