Rural Roundabouts - Chris Coulter

Chris was a long time volunteer of the Peoria Historical Society and spent countless hours archiving their collection along with other organizations in the area. His efforts preserved thousands of historical documents and photos. Chris passed unexpectedly in January and his friends and colleagues have sponsored some of his rural photos to be exhibited at the Guild.

Have you ever wondered what small town life was like years ago? Christoph Coulter and his father,Doug, captured the answer with their photography adventures. It all started with the love of scanning. Everyone has seen the need to preserve their print photos from the past and Doug was no exception. He began the journey of scanning family photos. It soon became evident that he could use a little help. And that is when Chris swooped in and became passionate about holding on to the past through the magic of photography. Chris became very interested in the older pictures and wanted to take some himself. Where to start? Small towns of course because they still have remnants of the past. How exciting to capture what was left of each town’s story. Chris started out taking photos with a cheap digital camera. Over the years the investment of cameras ended with his prize cameras of choice… the Pentax K1 and a Pentax 645 film camera. Doug and Chris researched their trips and then traveled highways, byways and country roads seeking out interesting locations. They went to over 600 small towns within a 100 mile radius of Morton, Illinois. Most towns had a grain elevator and over the years they progressed from a wooden framework to cement or metal structures. The churches were wooden or brick and often had a traveling preacher for Sunday services. A majority of the stores were closed or abandoned. Old wooden barns were dotted across the landscapes. Railroads hardly exist but sometimes the depots survived. It was interesting to see a variety of band stands in the central park. Old cars and trucks, sheds and outbuildings were often left to deteriorate. The real treasure was when Chris found some glass plate negatives at salvage or antique stores. They were often broken, scratched and in poor shape. Chris loved the challenge of restoring the original photo that emerged from the ragged glass plates. Chris mainly utilized Photoshop to complete the photos to his satisfaction, which was near perfection. He loved to acquire turn-of-the-century photos, especially ones with the names written on the back. He would try to look up family members and give them the photo. It was often a touching and emotional experience for all. Chris made sure the past was not forgotten and now our beloved Christoph Douglas Coulter will not be forgotten either.