Posts Tagged ‘family’

A Fresh Start

Monday, October 14th, 2013

Elsie Ejismekwu is a trucker and cabbie in Watford City. Divorced and a mother of five, she moved to the Bakken for the work, which pays more than most other places in America. Says Ejismekwu, “I wanted a fresh start so I came to North Dakota.”

Story and photos by Todd Melby

Made possible by a grant from the North Dakota Humanities Council

Truck View - Watford City

Coco and Elsie

Cramped, Crammed, Crowded: Raising Four Boys in a Skid House

Sunday, November 4th, 2012

North Dakota’s oil boom has forced many families to make tough decisions. Shannon Atwell is living proof. Shannon recently moved her four young boys from their farm in Missouri to a cramped trailer near Williston, North Dakota. The boys’ father moved there over 2 years ago to work in the oilfields, and the family finally decided join him. This is Shannon’s story.

L to R: The Atwell family: Levi (2), Shannon (31), David (4), Jesse, Jr. (7), and Daniel (4)

Audio portrait by Laura Candler

Photo by Laura Candler

I Miss My Wife and Kids

Saturday, October 20th, 2012

Brian Martindale drives truck in North Dakota, but his family is back home in Minnesota. Martindale is married with three young children, all under the age of seven.

Audio portrait by Todd Melby

Photo and video by Ben Garvin

No View, No Seats: Maeda’s Tasty Tacos

Wednesday, October 17th, 2012

Boomtowns bring with them appetites. Restaurants catering to oil workers in western North Dakota try to meet diners’ demands. But waits are long, and so are lines for drive-thrus. One solution is the food truck. In Williston, one food truck is putting an authentic twist on Mexican takeaway.

Story by Diane Richard

Photos by Todd Melby