We’ve talked a lot about the oil boom in North Dakota and all the people who have moved there for the jobs. Oil has made North Dakota one of the most prosperous states in the U.S.

But not everyone who goes there finds what he’s looking for. Independent radio producer Todd Melby is working on a year-long project, called Black Gold Boom, out of Williston, N.D. Marketplace is airing some of his portraits of the people and places he’s run across.

Today, Robert Reid, who hitchiked to North Dakota from Florida with nothing but a backpack. Listen to his story in the audio above.

Todd’s series, Black Gold Boom, is an initiative of Localore and the Association of Independents in Radio.