← The founding

Sgt. Curtis Greer

Fire lookout

Korea, 1950 to 1952. Blackrock Ridge lookout, 1953 to 1961.

Curtis came back from Korea in the spring of 1952 and took the Blackrock Ridge post the following year, partly because it was posted and partly because there was nobody up there to have opinions about him.

He had a camera and knew how to use it. In September 1954 he photographed something crossing the burn scar below his tower, eleven frames over about four minutes.

He developed the roll himself. Frames one through eleven came back clear, sharp, correctly exposed, and empty. The burn scar, the timber line, no creature.

He photographed the same scene deliberately the following week to confirm his chemistry was sound. It was.

He stayed with the Institute for thirty years and never took another photograph of anything.

This is where the app's language comes from. Members are issued film, and the Institute has never stopped believing that a photograph is worth taking even when it comes back empty.