I've always had an interest in the forgotten pieces of history. Living in Germany for a good portion of my childhood, I got used to the idea of being immersed constantly in history - castles and battlements peppered the countryside, restaurants in our town has been so for over 500 years - no matter where you looked there was a story. There wasn't a way to ignore the history surrounding you.

In America, its far harder to find the remnants of history - every couple of years we bulldoze the last century's crowning accomplishment of engineering - we allow our historical sites to fall into disrepair to the point where they literally cease to exist. we reminisce, but we don't want physical representation of a time so long ago.

Such is true in Alaska - very little of our short past has been protected. The Tanana Valley near Fairbanks almost seems vacant to the outsiders eye of anything historical - but to the adventurous explorer, its brimming full of historical sites. The entire valley is covered with mines, dredges, railroad artifacts - one simply has to look for the story to find it. Such is true with the rest of Alaska - and I've intended to capture what I can of our disappearing history before there's nothing but stories and archived snapshots.

Ive' only been consistently interested in photography for the last ten years - earning my Bachelors at the University of Alaska - Fairbanks in Photojournalism, where I currently teach several photo-based classes in which, once in a while, I stammer on about my interest in local history. Within the last six years I've made every effort to explore what the local scene, as well as the entire state, has to offer for neglected historical sites - and I've done my best to capture their fading glory.

All my series attempt to shed light on pieces of our collective past that has unfortunately neglected. Reminisce and enjoy.