The town of Trona, near Death Valley, can feel like a place that is dying. A large factory operates in the town, extracting minerals from the giant dry lake in Searles Valley. I have passed through for years, and the number of abandoned and boarded-up homes and businesses has increased. This intriguing church sits along the highway, wedged between the town and the dry lake.
The church has fascinated me since I first saw it many years ago. I have never seen people there or even a car parked in the gravel parking lot. It is one of the least aesthetic Catholic Churches I have ever seen, looking entirely functional and standing implacably in this rough landscape. On the day I photographed it the wind was blowing and storm clouds had gathered over the distant Panamint Mountains.
G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.
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