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Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Modern Ruins: St. Marie, Montana

As the producer of this video explains, St. Marie is a modern ghost town that serviced the Glasgow Air Force Base in Montana until the base was closed in 1976. At its peak, this town had 7,000 residents. The video indicates that there are now only about 300 residents which mostly live around the core of the town. (There is a research facility that still uses the air field--presumably the employees still live in the town). Consequently, there are hundreds of homes, a grocery store, two schools, a church, and a hospital that are all abandoned. Because most everyone would have left about the same time, there isn't the signs of more gradual decay that you see in other cities or town that have seen slow population declines. 

    The producer does not enter any of the buildings but he does go up and down the abandoned streets and you get a good look at the decrepit state of many of the buildings. H go up to a few buildings (some homes, the church, and a school) to peer through open doors or windows inside. Not surprisingly, the wood sided residences have faired the worst, while the commercial construction has done much better. The streets were a mix--some have survived quite well while others are broken up and quite overgrown. There was not anywhere near as much vegetation as I expected, but I think it is because of the harsh climate: other than some areas shielded by buildings or landscape, the only vegetation is short grass that is probably common to that area of Montana.  It is a good look at what a town might look like years after an apocalypse. 

Chris Attrell (14 min.)

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