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 NotBatman
    
Location: MSP
Gender: Male
Secret Cult Member
 |  | Joel's Fort (MSP)
< on 4/1/2009 3:44 AM >
|  | | | This isn't exactly urban, per se, but it's absolutely man-made and well within the Twin Cities Metro, so I post in hopes that someone might enjoy. (Please be gentle, it's my first time.)
1. Setting the stage: I was walking along some train tracks a little outside downtown St. Paul one afternoon. The more I think about the freight lines, the more I'm convinced that there is magic in them. It seems to me that a person could start off walking down a set of train tracks and, if he made the right choices, he could travel the entire country that way. Not only that, but within and between the metropolitan centers where the trains stop and load and deliver cargo, the tracks will pass through the far lonely places where few bother to go.
2. I happened to look through a break in the trees between the tracks and the bluffs and I saw some stacked limestone blocks.
3. There was little else at that first outpost, but I kept my eyes on the bluffs and just a short distance further, I found a greater structure.
4. I followed a vague walking path up and to the side until I got a good look at the structure itself.
5. There is a flat-topped foyer, of sorts, on the far side of the above pic. From there you can enter the "Fort" proper. The place was amazing, it took my breath away. Pictures won't do it justice.
6. At the near end of the wall is a fireplace/oven made out of limestone blocks pulled from the bluffs. The top of this is adorned with various found objects and stone tools.
7. The floor of the fort is fine St. Peter sandstone carved out of the bluffs and spread about. The sand is laid on top of a tarp that keeps rainwater runoff from the bluffs (mostly) underneath the "floor." Inside, the walls are lined with candles and local found bits.
8. More interior wall decoration
9. On the back wall is a tattered old American Flag. Lines are hung where tarps can be secured during rain. Behind the flag there are several deep holes dug into the sandstone that serve as natural refridgerators.
10. More interior wall detail
11. Long Shot. The builder and occupant's name is Joel. He wouldn't say, exactly, if he lived here full time or not. Sometimes it seems like he has his own place nearby and uses this as a get-away. Sometimes I'm pretty sure he lives here, though (to date) he has welcomed the visitors he's received well enough that I've been back several times and once brought my wife and three-year-old to see the place. An animated talker, Joel is full of stories and seems to love showing off what he's done, the work of several years.
12. Old and wirey, he never stopped moving any of the times I've spoken with him. He calls the place his Fort, an escape from the world. I'm pretty sure he lives here, at least in the warm months. At the time of these pictures, the weather had been wet - he insists that he doesn't put up the tent unless he has to, preferring to sleep under the trees.
Whether or not Joel is homeless himself, there are several more "traditional" hobo camps in the area and the residents are protective of him and his fort, so respect and care are in order. The times I've seen him he's been happy to receive any visitors who happen by ("The door is always open," he proclaims expansively, and repeatedly, arms stretching out to either side) but he knows that sooner or later it's going to be his downfall.
The place is magical. I hope you enjoy the pics.
I'm a "Leave only footprints, take only pornography" kind of guy, myself. |
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Glass
   
Location: Chicago
as one does
| |  | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 1 on 4/1/2009 4:20 AM >
|  | | | Wonderful photos, it reminds me of some grottos in hidden falls park.
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Dr. Magnus
Location: MSP (Upper Echelon)
Gender: Male
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 3 on 4/1/2009 6:38 AM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun_mario
(do we ever really grow out of it?) |
No, no we do not...
[last edit 4/1/2009 6:38 AM by Dr. Magnus - edited 1 times]
Elite: exclusive, noble, gilt-edged, tip-top, choice, pick, greatest, top drawer, cool, super, out of sight, top-notch, crack, top, out of this world, topflight, elect, aristocratic, selected, upper-class, world-class. |
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NotBatman
Location: MSP
Gender: Male
Secret Cult Member
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 4 on 4/1/2009 4:52 PM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun_mario
Has he been there everytime you've stopped by? If so, he may not 'live' there, but never really grew out of the phase of building forts (do we ever really grow out of it?) and just finds extreme joy in spending the weekends there. |
I've been there four times, now, and the only time he wasn't there was the time I brought my family to see the place. My visits have been probably half-and half between weekday and weekend stops. One day he mentioned that he'd just gotten back from a week working somewhere up north, but that may or may not be conclusive.
I really can't decide if I think it's "full-time" or not, it could sort of go either way based on my conversations with him. I like to think he has a more proper home (with such conveniences as heat and a roof) and he really just goes there to get away and that's really more likely the case.
Other times I just can't be sure.
I'm a "Leave only footprints, take only pornography" kind of guy, myself. |
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D'void
Location: The Wild Mid-West
Gender: Male
Give me your $oul
| | | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 5 on 4/1/2009 6:09 PM >
| | | | Good stuff, thanks for sharing.
I myself have wanted to do this in the summers here in Michigan. It would be nice to get away from it all.
onlynDetroit.com |
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macphisto
Location: St. Paul, MN
Gender: Male
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 6 on 4/1/2009 8:51 PM >
| | | | Joel sounds like a neat guy. Very cool pics. Thanks for sharing.
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NotBatman
Location: MSP
Gender: Male
Secret Cult Member
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 8 on 4/2/2009 2:06 AM >
| | | | Posted by shotgun_mario
the next time you see him you should tell joel that his fort (but not the location) are famous all over the interwebs!
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It's something we'd talked a little about. He seems to genuinely enjoy showing it off (and rightly so!) and at some point one of us mentioned showing it to a local paper or television news.
What it came down to was that he was afraid that opening it up that wide would bring every jack-ass in town to see it, eventually spoiling the place. He was already a little concerned about how visible it was from the rail line and it really was pretty well concealed there unless you happen to look up in exactly the right place.
When I took my pics he made me promise to "only let cool people know about it."
Seems like this is a decent balance, honestly. Next time I go back I'll try and remember to get some decent print-outs of this, just to let him know and pass along the appreciation. Lord knows he's earned it.
I'm a "Leave only footprints, take only pornography" kind of guy, myself. |
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Wiccan
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Gender: Female
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 9 on 4/2/2009 4:17 AM >
| | | | I've (personally) never seen anything like this posted here,very cool!
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WarBird69
Location: Eastern TN
Gender: Male
Atomic Bird of War
| | Re: Joel's Fort (MSP)
<Reply # 10 on 4/2/2009 12:59 PM >
| | | | Love it. Absolutely love it. I hope it stays pristine well after Joel passes on.
When twilight draws near, when you are pushed to the very limits of your soul, when it seems that all you have left are the dead remnants of the fabric of your life:
-- BELIEVE |
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