This photo essay evolved from a series of trips across U.S. Highway 2 and various back roads stretching along the Great Northern rail line in northern Montana. It remains a work in progress. Images were photographed in counties such as Blaine, Philips and Valley -- counties almost the size of compact states, yet containing populations of less than 5,000. Such populations are referred to as "frontier populations;" areas with no more than six people per square mile. I found myself taken by the geometry, distances and signposts of North Central Montana, a region bordering on Canada that is referred to as the Hi-Line. Census numbers indicate a hemorrhaging population. Yet a coral reef of towns set on a stark prairie ocean offered a smorgasbord of voices and scapes.

Michael Coles is a freelance photographer working out of Missoula, Montana. Prints from this show are available for purchase. Michael can be reached at mcoles@mindspring.com, and more of his work can be found at www.mcolesphoto.com.