With what many are calling the largest oil boom in recent North American history, temporary housing for the influx of workers – known as 'man camps' – now dot the sparse Dakota landscape. These units stand outside the town of WillistonPhotograph: Gregory Bull/APA drilling rig called a 'derrick' probes the oil-rich depths beneath North DakotaPhotograph: Gregory Bull/APBen Shaw works at the top of the oil derrickPhotograph: Gregory Bull/AP
Austin Mitchell (left) and Ryan Letho at the base of the rigPhotograph: Gregory Bull/APBen Shaw abseils back to ground levelPhotograph: Gregory Bull/APAustin Mitchell (far right) takes a break with Ryan Letho (centre) and Ben ShawPhotograph: Gregory Bull/APOil workers line up for supper in the cafeteria of the temporary housing unit Photograph: Gregory Bull/APNot all of North Dakota's new job opportunities are for the boys ... Sharron Tallent is the cook at the housing unit cafeteria. 'You gotta be kind of tough about it. You gotta be strong-willed, strong-minded. It's a mindset to be here,' says the 47-year-old Montana native. Some of the younger guys affectionately call her 'mom'Photograph: Gregory Bull/APSunset, and in a field near the camp a man welcomes the dusk with his guitar. In addition to his kitchen duties, he's also the camp garbage man. It's not glamorous, but it is lucrative. 'I'm making more now than I would've if I'd gone to college,' he saysPhotograph: Gregory Bull/AP
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.