In the most recent issue of Rivet (R18: SECRET), I wrote a short piece on secret government operations in the desert, drawing connections between the desolation of the landscape and the government’s desire to keep certain activities hidden.

Since publication, I have discovered the Center for Land Use Interpretation, an organization that researches unusual sites throughout the country, creates exhibits in their various galleries around the country, issues publications, exploring various themes in American land use.

You can even search their extensive database here for curious locations in your own state.

It’s a little bit esoteric and grand, to explore the various uses of land in a country. But organized through specific pipelines, such as waste or military or transportation, you find that this is a vast collection of incredible material, seen through an entirely original lens. The broadness of the mission allows for a largeness of thinking that appropriately mirrors the largeness of the land itself.