Pearl Street Houses, Vicksburg, Mississippi (South Section; Kodachrome Film)

Introduction

A few days before Thanksgiving (2020), a gent from Maryland emailed me about my photographs of Pearl Street. He had grown up on there in the 1960s and said my photographs of the houses along both sides of the railroad tracks were the only ones he could find on the web. We met one afternoon and walked around. He was in town to visit his 94-year-old mother, who no longer lived in the old family home and now lived in another part of town. 

The family home had just recently been razed, as shown by fresh dirt on the site. He told me that before the urban renewal program of the 1970s, they all used outhouses behind the houses. Federal funds covered the cost of installing sewers and connecting piping to the houses. He also remembered when Tuminello's (500 Speed Street) was considered the finest restaurant in town, but African Americans were not allowed to eat there. Several small local grocery stores catered to the local residents. All the children knew each other and played together, and parents kept an eye on the games.

My friend's visit inspired me to look over Kodachrome slides that I took along Pearl Street over the years. Some I had scanned before, and I scanned the remainder. I will show reduced-size versions below. They are ordered from south to north, so the house numbers decrease. See the caption under each frame for the address. Many of these cottages have been demolished, and today there is nothing left to see. Brush and trees occupy many of the former house lots. Click any frame to see a larger view of 1600 pixels on the long dimension.

Pearl Street south of Fairground Street

2607 Pearl Street

2605 Pearl Street

2603 Pearl Street

These houses are still extant. The railroad embankment runs right in front of their porches and ruins the view. At least the locomotives no longer sound their deafening horns now. I took these photographs from the tracks.

Fairground Street

Fairground Street Keystone bridge, view east, photograph taken from top of petroleum tank at Levee Street tank farm

501-509 Fairground Street cottages, photograph taken from top of petroleum tank at Levee Street tank farm

503-507 Fairground Street (Leitz 90mm ƒ/2.8 Tele-Elmarit lens)

502 Fairground Street (2020 photograph taken with Kodak Ektar 25 film, Hasselblad 501CM camera)

Fairground Street Keystone bridge (Leica IIIC, 5cm ƒ/3.5 Elmar lens, ⅒ ƒ/11.5)

Fairground Street Bridge from KCS tracks (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Hasselblad 501CM camera, 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

Fairground once was a through street that gave access to Levee Street on the west side of the railroad yard. I remember driving over the Keystone bridge in the 1980s, but the city deemed it unsafe and closed it to traffic in the 1990s. At one time, the City was going to move it to the Catfish Park at the waterfront, but nothing came of the plan. 

Fairground Street view north

KCS train heading south. Note iron rooftops on the left

This is the view north along the tracks on the east side of Pearl Street. At one time, a parallel road on the west side extended as far as the cottages on the west (see the iron roofs). All these houses are now gone.

Film Notes

The last of the Kodachrome 25 film.

Most of the photographs above are scans of Kodachrome 25 (K25) color slide film. Kodachrome was the world's first successful color transparency film. Introduced in 1935 and modified over the years, it was in use until 2010, an amazing 75-year production history. Many people associate mid-century color photography with the colors of Kodachrome. It had a certain look. For more information about this historic film:

1. Mike Eckman wrote a blog post on Kodachrome and reproduced an excellent 50-year anniversary article from Modern Photography magazine. Mike reviews classic film cameras and summarizes articles on various film topics. 
2. Wikipedia has a good article with a timeline of the different emulsions.
3. A short 2009 article in Time.
4. Original sources and examples from filmcolors.org
5. Retrospective with contributed examples on casualphotophile.com. Casual is a great site for film photographers. 

I find Kodachrome difficult to scan with my Plustek 7600i film scanner, especially compared to scanning color negative (color print) film. Dense slides just do not scan well.  The color balance is often off, but using the "HDR" setting on the Silverfast Ai scanning software usually handles the colors reasonably well. Sometimes, I use the neutral grey dropper tool to set the colors. Placing the dropper tool on grey pavement usually works. My experience with Nikon's Coolscan scanners was better, but they are no longer in production and are extremely expensive on ePrey. And if the Coolscan unit fails, it may not be repairable any more.

Historic Bridge over Judd Bayou, Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana

Tensas National Wildlife Refuge is a magical place of forest, bayous, lakes, and wetlands. The last verifiable sighting of the Ivory-billed woodpecker was 1944 in these forests. Some diligent birders are still looking for the ivory-billed here, although I think they will have more success in the remote and rugged mountain forests in Cuba. The Louisiana Digital Library has photographs of the woodpecker and the forests when they were still largely pristine.

During the 2020 Audubon Christmas bird count, one birder volunteered to explore the woods along Judd Bayou. I had never been to that area and decided to check the access in mid-December. To reach the bayou, you take Charles Brown Road off US 80 just east of Waverly and follow it south over I-20. It passes farms and then enters the forest at the boundary of Tensas NWR. Abruptly, you are in a forest from another time. Where is the dinosaur? The road runs parallel to the Tensas River along its west bank. It ends at an old-fashioned riveted steel girder bridge with a sign that cars are not allowed to cross. 

Judd Bayou bridge (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Hasselblad 501CM, 80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

The late afternoon light was perfect, and I took a frame on the long-discontinued, ultra high resolution Kodak Ektar 25 film. Click the picture to expand to 2400 pixels wide to see details.

Bridge details from the Louisiana Department of Transport:

• Parish: Madison
• Bridge Configuration: Through truss Pratt truss
• Bridge name: (none)
• Facility carried and feature crossed: OLD HWY 80 over JUDD BAYOU
• Year built: 1908
• Owner: Bureau of Fish and Wildlife, Federal ownership

The LADOT information about Hwy 80 is almost surely incorrect because 80 ran E-W through north Louisiana, approximately following the main railroad line. I doubt it made a big swing south into this forested region, which was formerly known as the Singer Tract (owned by the Singer Sewing Machine company).  

A 4-wheeler track may lead south from the bridge, eventually connecting to Quebec Road, but I am not sure. I could not go further in my car, but it was a lovely setting, and I did not see any dinosaurs or ivory-billed woodpeckers. Imagine the magnificence of these forests if they had not been logged and destroyed in the 1940s.

Forest near Rainey Lake (Kodak Panatomic-X film, Rolleiflex 3.5E Xenotar lens)

Forest off Quebec Road (Kodak Panatomic-X film, Rolleiflex 3.5E Xenotar lens)

Here are two examples of the magnificent hardwood bottomland scenery from 2019. 

Farm on Charles Brown Road (GAF Versapan film, Voigtländer Vito BL camera)

Barn on Charles Brown Road

Tensas NWR is a bit out of the way but well worth a diversion to visit. 

Write your Federal representatives to support and expand the National Wildlife Refuge system, as well as National Monuments. Protect the wild lands that we still have; leave a legacy for your descendants. Undo the mismanagement, pillage, corruption, and destruction of our natural environment wrought by the previous administration in Washington.

Expired Film Treasure: 120-size Kodak Ektar 25 (Abandoned Films 02g)

Dear Readers, I have written about Kodak's ultra-fine resolution Ektar 25 film before. This was the finest-grain color negative film ever made, and when new, had a vivid and contrasty color palette. But it has been out of production for two decades, and most (all?) rolls for sale on ePrey are unusable because they were not stored frozen. Awhile ago, I declared I would not try any more; it was past its time. 

Oh oh, trouble. A friend on the Photrio forum said he had two rolls for me that had been frozen. I could not resist - I know, I know, weak self-discipline. It is an example of succumbing to film GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

The first roll I exposed at an exposure index of EI=20. But when the film came back from North Coast Photographic, the frames were much too thin. However, I managed to save about half of the pictures via scanning. The second roll I shot at EI=12, and this one was much better. So, in no particular order, here are some examples of the famous but long-expired Ektar 25, color shifts, warts and all. These are all tripod-mounted exposures. Click any frame to expand. Comments welcome.

Louisiana

Bridge over Judd Bayou, Tensas National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens)

This is one of my favorite recent photographs. The light, foliage, and setting were just right. This is the end of the road for cars, well within the forest west of the Tensas River. Unfortunately, this area was cut in World War II, so the forest is not old growth, and the loggers destroyed what may have been the last USA habitat for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker. 

Vicksburg and Redwood

Former CCC Camp near Union Ave., Vicksburg National Military Park

King Davis Church, Glass Road, Vicksburg (80mm Planar-CB lens, polarizer)

Shed near abandoned cement silos, Rte 3, Redwood (80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens, ½ ƒ/5.6)

Remnants at cement silo site, Rte 3, Redwood (50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

Crushing mill, Rte 3, Redwood (50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens, 1 sec. ƒ/8)

I have photographed this large metal object before. I am not sure what it once crushed or ground. The deep water pit may have been for cooling water or flushing the material out of the device. Now it is a perfect habitat for water snakes. This is just east of Rte 3 across the street from the old cement silos. 

Where is my food? Happy wet cows, Ball Road, Redwood

Rosedown Road, Vicksburg (80mm ƒ/2.8 Planar-CB lens, ¼ ƒ/4.05)

This is the view looking downhill from Confederate Avenue. These architecturally-boring houses have been here since before the mid-1980s. 

Eagle Lake Area

Jones Lake, near Laney Lake Road, off Rte. 465 (50mm Distagon, ¼ ƒ/11)

Jones Lake, near Laney Lake Road, off 465 (50mm Distagon, ¼ ƒ/11)

Snow in Vicksburg

Adams Street, view north (80mm Planar-CB lens)

Ready to go, Washington Street

Kansas City Southern rail yard from Levee Street

104 Locust Street (50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

106 Locust Street (unoccupied)

201 Locust Street (unoccupied)

Yes, once in awhile, we get a snowstorm in Vicksburg. It changes the entire look of the landscape and is too good to resist capturing with film. The overcast sky and soft light was perfect for this Ektar 25 film.

Locust Street is in the north part of town below Fort Hill. A local dude stopped in his car and told me how the neighborhood was vibrant 20 years ago, with houses on every lot. Now at least half of the lots are grass or have abandoned houses.

Summary

Once again, I am impressed that a 25-year-old color film will still work, albeit with color shifts and minor errors in the emulsion. This film shows it amazing resolution when used with the best optics and careful technique (which means a tripod). But I have no more 120-size Ektar 25 and am unlikely to ever buy any. As I concluded before (but obviously did not follow my own advice): this is the end, no more. There is one roll of 35mm Ektar 25 in the freezer, which I will save it for a special occasion.

Update June 2021: A friend found two rolls of Ektar 25 in his mother's freezer. It looks as if I will be able to enjoy Ektar 25 again.

Footloose on Los Nevados (Colombia 08)

We were amazed; humming birds live and thrive at 4100 m (13,500 ft) elevation in the Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados. Obviously, there are enough blossoms with nectar to sustain these little guys. They definitely do better than we sea-level-sissy tourists do in this thin air. But, surprisingly, none of us got sick or even felt particularly fatigued.

The visitor center served us coca tea (mate de coca), which is supposed to reduce altitude effects. But I looked at the package ingredients, and the amount of coca was so minuscule, it really was just over-sweetened tea. Oh, well.

The plants up here in the mists are quite spectacular - unusual succulents, lichens, and fungi. The fog and drizzle blows in and out, revealing an amazing garden of unusual plant life, bathed in the soft light.

Lava flows, Los Nevados

In color, the light is mellow. In black an white, it is almost ominous.

Hotel Termales del Ruiz, Los Nevados, Colombia

We stayed at the Hotel Termales del Ruiz, which is built literally over a hot spring. The oldest part of the complex was built in 1937, and during the post-war era, thrived as a ski center and hydrotherapy center. Being at 3500m elevation (11,500 ft), the air is brisk. The accommodations were very nice; the restaurant was OK needed a bit of organization or efficiency management. The hot pools were divine.

The area boasts 14 different hot springs, varying in temperature between 28º and 91º Celsius, with waters of different chemical conditions.

Chair with a view, Hotel Termales del Ruiz, Los Nevados

This ends our short sojourn on the Los Nevados volcano. The hiking trails to the summit area were closed when we were there due to active volcanism, but I would like to return some day to do some hiking (there are a thousand places to which I would like to return some day....).

The black and white photographs are from Fuji Acros film exposed with a Leica M2 camera.

Footloose in Manizales (Colombia 07)

Room with a view: Manizales from the Varuna Hotel

We spent a few nights in Manizales. This is a fascinating town perched on a ridge-top, the capital of the Department of Caldas, and near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. The ridge runs approximately east-west, and to the north and south, the mountain drops off steeply. How did anyone choose to build a town here at about 7,000 ft altitude? Was there dependable drinking water? 

Manizales aerial commuter tramway (Fuji Acros film, Leica M2 camera)

The roads are twisty and windy, really interesting. To save us from a seep mountain ascent and (uurp) car-sickness, our van left us at the bottom terminal of the Cable Aereo Manizales aerial tramway. Thousands of commuters use this daily to get to and from work or school. Most of us associate a tramway as having a bottom and a top station, as on a mountain resort, but this one has intermediate stations. Think of a subway where you can get off or on at any station you select, but instead you are up in the air.

Cable Aereo stations

View from the gondola (Jan. 25, 2019)

Tramways have operated in the city since the 1920s, but this one was built by Leitner Ropeways and inaugurated in 2009. In ten years, it has carried 30 million passengers. It can also carry victims of medical emergencies. Tramways are slowly becoming more common in hilly cities that have traffic problems (e.g., almost any modern city). Even Ankara has an aerial tram today.

Calle 26, Manizales

Calle 24, Manizales. Note the fellow on the scooter

I told you the side streets are steep. 

Carrera 23, Manizales

We walked along the main shopping street, Carrera 23, towards the cathedral. The place was packed with wall-to-wall people. Latin towns are like this at dusk; people are out forgathering, enjoying the end of the work day, and seeing and being seen.

Stores and sidewalk vendors sold all sorts of merchandise, clothing, electronics, foods, and drinks. No one paid any attention to us. "Oh, some more doofy tourists."

The neo-Gothic Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Nuestra Señora del Rosario dominates the Plaza de Bolívar downtown. It is an unusual reinforced concrete structure, begun in 1929 and completed in 1959. The height of 106m for the top of the tower places this cathedral in a ranking of tallest churches in the world. Unfortunately, it was too late in the day for us to climb up into the tower to the balcony. 

Who takes selfies in front of the cathedral? Answer, everyone. 

Dear Readers, this has been our short visit to Manizales. It is an interesting city with an innovative means to address the topography and traffic issues. On your next trip to Colombia, make a point to visit Manizales.