Images from Appalachia

During the middle part of the 1970s, when I was photographing in Uptown, I met hundreds of people from Appalachia who had come to Chicago to find a better living.

Seeing the way many lived in Uptown made me wonder about where they came from.

So one summer, I packed my cameras and took a road trip through Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina. I shot about 500 images on 2 1/4 x 2 1/4, 8 x 10 and 4 x 5 film. They show what many Uptown residents left behind. I’ll begin scanning and posting those shots soon.

They clearly show why some people would transplant themselves. I found many people still living in dirt-floor log cabins without running water or electricity, still cooking on wood-burning stoves. It’s a peak into a way of life that has totally disappeared. So check back soon.