|
A VISIT TO SLAB CITY ,
CA
Slab City is just over three miles east of Niland, a town on Highway
111, just an hour north of the Calexico/Mexicali border. It is
called Slab City on account of the slabs still there, left from the
Marine Barracks Camp Dunlap, an abandoned World War II military
base.
When the base was abandoned, a few of the soldiers remained.
There are no facilities, such as water, electricity or gas, but neither
are rent prices, landlords, or government control. Over time
others moved in and set up permanent camps, and there is also an annual
influx of campers that spend the cool months of the year there, free of
charge. The combination of it all has created a peculiar community.
They are a group of folks that insist in their freedoms, yet have over
time organized themselves to share a community board, keep a library,
play on one stage, and developed friendships. Not surprisingly, there
is a good share of artists in the group. The entrance to Slab City
is preceded by Salvation Mountain, Leonard Knight's ongoing work
of the past 23 years, and a worthwhile destination on its own.
What started as the idea to put some color on the hill with a message
about his fervent devotion to his God, evolved over two decades, and
after thousands of gallons of paint, into a work of art, now admired,
photographed, and visited in a way that the artist never expected.
"Oh I get so excited!", he says about seeing a crowd admiring his
mountain, "please take pictures, the more, the better!" He
goes up to every visitor, just as they open their car's door, to welcome
them and offer them a guided tour. In return, people love Leonard
Knight. They bring along paint, money, hay bails with which he has
built igloo-like structures to paint over. Someone made the
15-minute DVD he hands out to his visitors, and a way cool picture
puzzle of his mountain.
The musicians in Slab City gather at The Range every Saturday
night for a concert. Whoever can play is welcomed to a turn up on
stage. Whoever can dance is welcomed to dance. Whoever can
sing is welcomed to sing. The Range was the idea of
Builder Bill, who is there on Saturdays taking care of details,
calling up the musicians in turns, and passing around the donation box.
It is also him who divides up any donated money and distributes it between the
players. It is a great gathering, with a good feeling. Free
of charge, no open bar... or closed for that matter. The policy is
BYOB, bring a warm coat, sit on any one of the non-matching seats
available, kick back and enjoy the show. There are not many things
like it anywhere. There are no provisions in Slab City, but three
miles away, in Niland, there is a gas station, a Chinese restaurant, a
Mexican restaurant, a library, a laundry mat with free WiFi [!!!] and a
goods store that sells, of all things!, the Costa Rican beer
Imperial. No one seems to know why there would be Costa Rican
beer in a land of bare necessities, other than perhaps because its name
matches the name of the County. Slab
City may be a place for the adventurous souls mostly, and without doubt
one of the most unique around. It deserves to be visited
personally, but most importantly, it deserves to be known about.
It is a place where time seems to have stopped, where one realizes how
much extra junk one really owns, and where one hopes to have to use the
bathroom only sparely. SALVATION MOUNTAIN - by
Leonard Knight
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Model of Salvation Mountain to be exhibited at the Baltimore Art Museum |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Made out of hay and adobe |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Leonard Knight, the artist |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
One of the books Salvation Mountain is listed on |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
this is the coolest puzzle ever |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SLAB CITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The story of how the library came to be |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here rests the woman who started the library, Peggy Sadlik |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Range - during the day |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
OTHER PLACES AROUND THE AREA
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mexicali, MX -- one hour South of Niland, CA |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mexicali from out hotel window |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Salton Sea - about half hour north of Niland |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Date palm tree plantation north of the Salton Sea |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
January 29th Update - Back to
Slab City with the kids. Pictures
HERE
|
