BY ANDREW BARTZ

Gridded Lives

Gridded Lives

Karaganda, Kazakhstan and Billings, Montana show great similarities Products of the end of the industrial age Both cities utilize the gridded street system Both cities’ land was formerly considered worthless Karaganda is fairly isolated in a vast area of uninhabited steppe Billing’s is an ancient lakebed which has a flat land base for miles Both Karaganda and Billings had railroads heading towards the center, thus centralizing them as railroad

towns

Major differences of Karaganda and Billings People migrated to Billing’s under the assumption it was going to be the next boom town Prisoners and families were forced to move to Karaganda by the Russian government

Gridded Lives

When Karaganda’s mining capabilities were discovered in the early 1900’s, the Russian government sent thousands of prisoners to work in the mines Also During this time, the Russian government displaced thousands of native Kazakhstan people to different

areas, many of which died from famine

The Russian government also forcefully sent thousands of families to work in the fields to produce crops to feed the prisoners who worked in the mines

The original city of Karaganda was moved due to the Russian government over mining the area

The new location of Karaganda is currently the fourth largest city in Kazakhstan

Modern day Karaganda

Gridded Lives

In 1881, the land which Billings stands on today was considered worthless Billings was a barren, waterless alkali flat with only an oasis here and there of sage brush The Yellowstone river runs on the outskirts of town and provides minimal drinking water for its residents

Frederick Billings mislead the future residents of Billings into thinking it was a beautiful forest, with endless resources and capabilities

Billings attracted thousands of people from all over the world because of the false description Mr. Billings painted

Families who had come to Billings had no other choice to stay and farm what they could because they had already spent all their money on their property, most simply could not afford to leave

Now, modern day Billings is a successful city, and is the largest in Montana

Modern day Billings