Niland - Another Modern Day Ghost Town

Niland is another example of a modern day, desert ghost town. In it's day, it was a thriving agricultural town in the Imperial Valley. In fact, the name "Niland" came from combining the words Nile and Land (because it was so fertile). The population in the area is less than 1,000 people today and declining. I think that the only thing it has going for it now, is that it is the "gateway to Slab City and Salvation Mountain."   How do I copyright that phrase? There really isn't much left there these days, but off course, I can always find plenty to do and see. If you want to visit Mexico, it is very close by.  Most of the photos are drive-by.

Believe it or not, this is still the nicest building in town, and it's hollow and fenced off.

Here's the back side of the same building.

Not that we were going to eat there, but this looked like the only place to eat in town. When we got closer, we saw that it was closed up.

This was my favorite photo from Niland. I even got out of the car to take it! If the moon had been a little lower in the sky (and therefore larger), I would love it! Please embiggen to get the true effect.

Your average Niland business. Closed and fenced off.

This seemed to be the only real viable business in town. A HUGE "fattening up" complex for cattle. I like beef just as well as the next carnivore, but I still found it to be kind of sad.

There is a for sale sign in the lower right hand corner of the photo. You can finally own your dream home!   But wait! If you act today, we'll include all the junk on the property!  All joking aside, there are MANY properties like this for sale around Niland.  Kind of sad...

Another business (or former business) on the main drag.

The Latin-American Club. This might have been the last "watering hole" in town. If there was an open bar there, we didn't see it.

Yet another closed business. As you can tell by looking at these photos, these places didn't close recently. This decline has been going on for quite a while. We were camped somewhere on the ridge line of those distant mountains for the last two weeks. We're home for a while right now though.

The other shut down bar/cafe.

At one time, folks must have had the time and/or resources for some leisure time.

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I hope you don't mind seeing these towns. We've been to quite a few and there are many more out there to visit. Not until the summer is over though. Much too hot there already.

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Slab City

Slab City (formerly a World War 2, USMC Artillery Training Base), is located a few miles outside of Niland, California.  The base, which closed in 1946 is about 120 feet below sea level, in the desert near Salton Sea. The buildings were torn down and only the cement slabs were left behind. Through the years people starting living here either full-time or on a seasonal basis.  There are exactly ZERO utilities here. That means no water, electricity, and no plumbing. The people living here are mostly artistic, counter culture, crazy, or eccentric. Throw in some snow birds who come here to escape cold weather and you got a pretty eclectic group.

Post Apocalypse is a good description of it. They have a library (of sorts), crude yet creative galleries (of sorts) and even a couple of bars. All electricity is from solar, wind, or generators.  Somewhere close, there must be a VERY stinky dump! If I had to sum it up in one sentence, I'd say it's hippie commune meets Mad Max... Personally, I think it's amazing, but I could never live here. Maybe back in the day, but not now. The place has clearly seen better days...

This was the original gate guard blockhouse at the entrance gate to the base.

From what I've seen, this is a pretty typical looking resident of Slab City.

Two of the most well known characters around these parts are "Half Pint" and her donkey. They are well known enough, that even I know who they are.

Please meet Half Pint's hippie donkey. It's waiting for her outside of a small store in the fast approaching modern day ghost town of Niland. That little slice of decay will have it's own post pretty soon.

Slab City is about one square mile in size. Although most of it isn't as congested looking as this, a lot of it is. This photo was taken from the jeep and those smudges in the sky are most likely squished bugs. 

A Slab City estate.

Lot's of "hippie" type buses.

Some local art! (you know I had to have a least one black and white shot in the group.

Mobile folk art.  Do you think it actually runs?

Who ever lives in this one has some electricity.

A Slab City night club called the "Range." Okay, how do they keep the beer cold. Or do they?

Slab City condos?

This thing was awesome looking. I wanted to get a closer look, but the locals were chasing us with pitchforks and torches (not really).  Embiggen for a closer look at the whatever it is...

More buses and I don't know what the heck those containers are. Maybe studio apartments.

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Slab City is another example of the strange things (and people) you see in the deserts of America. I love the desert for those two reasons and because of the amazing landscape.  This place is less than 200 miles from Los Angeles and about 75 miles from San Diego and I'll bet you that 99.9% of the population of both cities have never seen, or even heard of this place. Probably half of those who've heard of it, would be too afraid to go there.

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