Wheel in the Sky Keeps Burning

by Mike Lee

Title

Wheel in the Sky Keeps Burning

Artist

Mike Lee

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

This shot consists of the Amedee Lime Kiln in in rural Lassen County, California, USA and approximately 75 minutes of trailing stars overhead. The image was shot well in to astro darkness on a moonless night and composed to capture the north celestial pole, specifically the star Polaris, in the constellation Ursa Minor (Latin for lesser bear), more commonly known as The Little Dipper. The image was created by blending images using a combination of stationary low level lighting and light painting with a handheld flashlight.

This abandoned lime kiln is near the site of the long defunct town of Amedee between the community of Wendel and the Nevada state line. Deposits of lime, a key ingredient in the manufacture of concrete, were discovered in the area at the end of the 19th century, leading to this kilns construction in 1893. However, the enterprise was shortly abandoned due to unfavorable economic conditions. The idea was revisited in 1913 and the kiln was pressed back in service, only to be abandoned yet again. In 1920 one more local business man fired the kiln up and used the lime produced to make concrete for a Susanville California apartment complex that still exists today. After completion of the apartment complex the kiln was abandoned once and for all in 1927 due to the generally poor quality of the lime.

(Source; Tim Purdy, Lassen County Historian (tipurdy.org))

Uploaded

April 2nd, 2021

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