LEAH NASH PHOTOGRAPHY

STORIES | ESSAYS: Rural Poverty in Oregon

Karen often watches Derrick, her great-grandson. Karen and her husband Jim used to have good paying jobs at the lumber mills but that changed when the mills closed. Jim, who has a 7th grade education work in the mills from 1955-1992 and retired soon after he was laid off. But Karen who worked in the mills from 1976-1989 then took a much lower paying job as a care-giver. "It was a hardship, but we've always found something to do," says Karen.
Karen often watches Derrick, her great-grandson. Karen and her husband Jim used to have good paying jobs at the lumber mills but that changed when the mills closed. Jim, who has a 7th grade education work in the mills from 1955-1992 and retired soon after he was laid off. But Karen who worked in the mills from 1976-1989 then took a much lower paying job as a care-giver. "It was a hardship, but we've always found something to do," says Karen.