Successful Photographs by Paul Johnson, Once Developed Farm Community Certificate of Rising Waters

Devils Lake is located in the northeast corner of North Dakota. It is the largest natural body of water in the state and is a seemingly unnatural 
phenomenon within it. Once upon a time, prosperous agricultural communities stood where the lake was, covering the reach and depth of the existing waters, 
abandoned high silos, majestic houses and squatting stables. The lake began to rise in 1993 and rose 35 meters in more than twenty years. 
Due to the outflow of water and the heavy rains in the early 1990s, high water simply made the previously productive area completely uninhabitable, 
and nevertheless, it would take 300 homes.

Minnesota-based photographer Paul Johnson (formerly) set out to witness and document the lost community in two different seasons in summer (by boat) 
and winter. Large trucks sit in the pit well, buried in thick ice, smoothly reflected in the water reaching above the silo door sill, 
and the stables lean at acute angles, appearing to be glued with fresh or frozen water surrounding them.
 
“Abandoned places speak to me very enthusiastically and I think for most of us, Johnson Johnson said in an interview with Passion Passport. 
“They're the last episodes of the unknown stories we left to think about the details. 


Their silent stagnation can lead to thoughts about the nature of time and the processes of decay and correction. 
Modern If you're interested in reading more about the history of the area, the Modern Farmer has a long-form story from a Devils Lake native perspective. .