Dustin Mullin, a resident of the Roaring Fork Valley for two years, has always had a passion for telling stories through photography. His current project, “Derailed,” displays the day-to-day lives of the community in Green River, Utah, more specifically, who and what remains of the town.
The project, which Mullin says will be a small chapter in a much bigger photographic documentary about isolated towns in the American West, focuses on why few remaining residents choose to stay.
Having gotten into documentary photo-
graphy in his teenage years back in his home state of Maryland, he has always used his lens to focus on the stories and experiences of people in communities facing hardships — casting a light of resilience and nostalgia. He recalled his first big photo essay project, which took place shortly after the September 11 attacks in New York City, when he discussed with locals how still living in the city was affecting them.
“I was 15, and I was living about four hours from New York City. In November of that year, my mom took me out so I could document what there was to document, and I did a little short photo essay of what the people were experiencing at the time. I took some photos of the recovery, and I think that’s what sparked my interest in this type of photography,” Mullin told The Sun. “Then, I spent many years moving back and forth across the country, just taking photographs, not really pursuing it seriously up until more recently.”
The idea for “Derailed” came to him when he was living in Philadelphia, but had gone on a camping trip to Goblin Valley State Park with a group of friends. On a grocery run to Green River, Mullin was immediately struck by its ghost-town-like presence.
“My first time visiting [Green River], I had noticed this place was declining. There are buildings falling apart and not being maintained,” Mullin said. “I was curious.”
“I was curious as to why I was even in this town getting groceries. I thought, ‘Is there a grocery store?’ At first, it looked like I had maybe gone on the wrong road,” he continued. “And when I got into that grocery store and saw how well-kept and beautiful it was for being where it was, I started to think more deeply. Like there are people here, and I wonder what keeps them here in this isolated place.”
During his many trips back to Green River since that 2022 camping trip, Mullin has collected stories of those who remain, tying them back to the area’s history.
Green River, according to a 2020 census, was home to 847 people.
During his time there, Mullin also re-
searched surrounding areas. Cisco, Utah, located near the junction of State Route 128 and Interstate 70, once boomed as the host to a railway depot, and later as a center of oil mining in the 1920s, before declining in the 1970s after the construction of Interstate 70.
“I thought of what I have seen on a broader level; like how a lot of these older towns that are more isolated used to have industry that kept them afloat: mining, railroads, etc.,” Mullin said. “Green River itself had an Air Force base there for a while that brought in economic movement … and then things changed. Interstates are built, railroads aren’t as important as they used to be, things like that just struck my curiosity.”
“Memory and nostalgia are a huge reason as to why a lot of people stay,” he continued. “The serenity, the quiet, the beauty of nature around them. And it is beautiful. I mean, it’s this massive open desert surrounded by the Book Cliffs … all these Mesas, and it’s a beautiful place. I can see why they wouldn’t want to leave.”
Mullin has submitted his photos for the project to several open calls and is hoping to have the full catalog available in print by the end of the year. He hopes that his work and the stories of those living in these areas will help to shed light on economic shifts that continue to happen, and how such massive changes affect the common person.
For more information or to see where this project takes him next, visit dustinmullin.com