From 2009 to 2013, I photographed in the rural American West. I wanted to see how people live in a landscape that is famous for being wild.

Two industries dominate the local economy: ranching and mining. Ranching culture symbolizes the region. People on horseback ride in countless movies, and on license plates and tourist souvenirs. But mining makes the biggest profits.

While the ranchers I met struggled to survive years of drought and overgrazing, almost anyone could find a job at the mines. Coal, oil, natural gas, and gold were booming. With the help of government incentives and new chemical technologies, companies drilled deeper and dug wider, polluting water and leaving pits where there once were mountains.

— Lucas Foglia