Don Barrett (aka DBs travels)'s photos with the keyword: Slab City

Another space I have to visit when on the east side of the Salton Sea, Slab City. Slab City is a freely created space for a mix of 'desert rats' (that's a compliment) and 'snowbirds'. Due to the time of year, the 'snowbird' population had largely left, leaving the year-round 'desert rats'. I've multiple pictures and comments on it from the past: www.ipernity.com/tag/donbrr/keyword/936862

What appears to be a recent arrival, parked relatively near the center of the encampment. See Slab City descriptions with nearby pictures in the Salton Sea set.

Looking north from the same vantage point used in the adjacent picture. If you look at a large version of this picture, you'll see that there are some older residences in this photo. See Slab City descriptions with nearby pictures in the Salton Sea set.

As noted in a nearby picture, there is an amazing ad hoc community that develops at Slab City. One thing I did notice on this visit is that there seems to be something like a social division, with 'snowbirds' living on the edges of the area and residences that appear to be more permanent being more towards the center. I make this distinction because the mobile homes on the edges look newer, have newer cars nearby, and look like they might be moved relatively frequently. This is looking south from a point that is just above the tanks seen in nearby pictures. See Slab City descriptions with nearby pictures in the Salton Sea set.

See Slab City descriptions with nearby pictures in the Salton Sea set.

See Slab City descriptions with nearby pictures in the Salton Sea set.

One of the more famous landmarks of 'Slab City' is 'Salvation Mountain', which is between the old ammo bunkers and the 'city limits'. A search will bring up multiple pages about it, so I won't go into any detail other than that the painting of the bluff seems to be all the work of one man. (photo taken by a friend and used with his permission)

This is the same ammunition dump shown in the adjacent picture in the Salton Sea set. The cleaning up and painting happened about 2 years prior to when this picture was taken.

Just east of Niland is what is called 'Slab City'. Slab City is an unsanctioned, but unbothered, takeover of an abandoned military base. When the base was abandoned after WWII, what was left was simply the concrete slabs where buildings had been. Over the years the former base has developed a reputation as an area for retirees and other unemployed people to informally set up camp for the winter, as well as a permanent year-round home for some people who live in trailers, old buses, cars, and a variety of other informal housing structures (I saw one of wood and hay bales). Like many such areas scattered throughout the west, it can look like a junk yard -- stoves, refrigerators, and old computers just lying about; cars that have been stripped of upholstery and tires; travel trailers and mobile homes that were long ago gutted by fire. But, also like many of such places, there's surprising evidence of a continued effort to build community and/or monuments to particular individual's obsessions. In general, there isn't much indication of the military history of the area, except a series of ammunition bunkers downhill from Slab City.All of the ammunition bunkers look like they have been lived-in, at least for a short period of time. And, they seem to be good vehicles for public statements.