Salton Sea, California – Ghost Town Lake in the Desert

The Salton Sea, the largest lake in California, lies nestled within the arid expanse of the Sonoran Desert in the southeastern part of the state. This seemingly out-of-place body of water has a history as dynamic and turbulent as the desert winds that sweep across its surface. The story of the Salton Sea is one of geological shifts, human ambition, ecological disaster, and the haunting remnants of a once-thriving recreational paradise.

For millennia, the Salton Basin, a depression in the landscape, has been subject to the whims of the Colorado River. Over the course of the last three million years, the river has periodically altered its course, overflowing into the basin and creating freshwater lakes that would eventually succumb to evaporation under the relentless desert sun. This cycle of filling and drying has shaped the region’s history and ecology.

One of the most significant of these prehistoric lakes was Lake Cahuilla, which emerged around 700 A.D. and persisted for centuries. The Cahuilla and Kumeyaay Native American tribes thrived around this freshwater oasis, utilizing its resources for sustenance and cultural practices. They fished in its waters, hunted the birds that flocked to its shores, and harvested marsh plants for various purposes. Lake Cahuilla gradually receded over time, its waters diminishing until it disappeared altogether approximately three centuries before the arrival of European explorers.

By the 16th century, when European explorers first ventured into the area, the Salton Basin was a completely dry, salt-encrusted landscape. It’s a stark contrast to the past when the basin held a lake about 26 times larger than the current Salton Sea.

Throughout the decades, the basin experienced repeated cycles of flooding and desiccation, with the last major infilling occurring in the early 1700s. However, when Don Juan Bautista de Anza led the first large European expedition through what is now known as the Imperial Valley, he encountered not a shimmering lake but a vast, salt-covered mudflat. During the 1800s, sporadic floods from the Colorado River temporarily filled the basin, creating ephemeral lakes that would quickly vanish, leaving behind only salt deposits.

The area’s mineral wealth was recognized early on, and salt mining operations began as early as 1815. With the arrival of the railroad in the basin, large-scale salt mining commenced in 1884, further solidifying the area’s identity as the Salton Sink or the Salton Basin.

The modern story of the Salton Sea began in the late 19th century with the ambitions of the California Development Company and its president, Charles R. Rockwood. Their vision was to transform the arid Imperial Valley into a fertile agricultural region by diverting water from the Colorado River through a network of irrigation canals.

In 1900, construction began on a series of canals designed to bring the life-giving waters to the parched land. For a few years, the system functioned as intended, with the river flowing peacefully under the control of a wooden headgate, irrigating fields of fruits and vegetables. However, the river’s waters carried a heavy load of silt, which soon began to clog the headgate, restricting the flow of water.

To address this problem, the California Development Company made a fateful decision: they cut a new channel a few miles south of the Mexican border. This new channel, unregulated by U.S. authorities, traversed an unstable section of the river delta. In the summer of 1905, disaster struck. Heavy rainfalls and snowmelt caused the Colorado River’s waters to swell, and the dike holding back the river breached. The Salton Sea began to fill at an alarming rate.

For two long years, the Colorado River relentlessly poured into the Salton Sink, inundating the town of Salton and disrupting the operations of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The railroad, with significant business interests in the region, invested approximately $3 million to halt the river’s flow into the basin. Finally, in 1907, their efforts succeeded, and the river was brought back under control. However, the damage was done. A "new" lake, christened the Salton Sea, had been created.

This large, inland sea, surrounded by the stark beauty of the desert, initially seemed like a boon. Fishermen flocked to its shores, drawn by the promise of abundant catches. However, the lack of an outlet for the water created a growing problem: salinity. As freshwater was pumped out of the lake for irrigation, the runoff returned, carrying dissolved salts from the soil, along with pesticides and fertilizer residue.

As the saline levels in the Salton Sea increased, the freshwater fish began to die off. In an attempt to salvage the situation, officials experimented with introducing various species of saltwater fish, including salmon, halibut, bonefish, clams, and oysters. Sadly, these efforts proved unsuccessful as well, due to the increasingly high salinity levels.

Despite these setbacks, a few hardy species managed to survive and even thrive in the challenging environment. In the early 1950s, gulf croaker, sargo, orange corvine, and tilapia found a niche in the Salton Sea. Their success sparked a recreation boom, transforming the inland desert sea into a popular sport-fishing and vacation destination.

Resorts and marinas sprang up along the coastline, catering to water skiers, boaters, and fishermen. The Salton Sea was dubbed "Palm Springs-by-the-Sea," and restaurants, shops, and nightclubs flourished along its shores. The lake attracted the attention of the rich and famous, with movie stars and recording artists flocking to the area. From Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis to Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys, the Salton Sea became a playground for the elite.

However, the Salton Sea‘s golden age was short-lived. In the 1970s, heavy rains and increased agricultural drainage caused the sea’s water level to rise dramatically. Shorefront homes, businesses, resorts, and marinas were repeatedly flooded. Although the water level stabilized in 1980 after conservation measures were implemented to reduce field runoff, the damage had already been done.

The accumulation of salt and fertilizers in the runoff had reached toxic levels, triggering a cycle of decay. Algae thrived on the toxins, creating massive blooms that decomposed and released foul-smelling gases. These blooms suffocated fish, leading to massive die-offs and further deterring visitors.

Within a few years, the resorts closed their doors, the marinas were abandoned, and those who could afford it fled the area, leaving behind a landscape of abandoned businesses, decaying homes, and scattered debris.

Today, the Salton Sea persists, fed by the Alamo, Whitewater, and New Rivers, as well as continued agricultural runoff from irrigated farmland. It remains the largest lake in California, covering an average surface area of approximately 375 square miles.

Despite its size, the Salton Sea faces a grim future. Its salinity levels are now higher than those of the Pacific Ocean, and the ecological consequences are severe. Numerous restoration plans have been proposed over the years, but none have been fully implemented. The latest proposal involves reducing the lake’s size to make it more manageable, but this ambitious project is expected to cost billions of dollars and take more than two decades to complete.

The shores of the Salton Sea are dotted with remnants of a more prosperous era. The area resembles a "ghost lake," surrounded by small "ghost towns," "ghost resorts," and "ghost trailer parks," a testament to the rise and fall of a once-thriving oasis.

Towns:

• Bombay Beach: Located on the east shore of the Salton Sea, Bombay Beach was founded in 1929 and quickly grew into a popular destination for weekend visitors and retirees. By the 1960s, the town boasted numerous businesses and homes. However, tropical storms and flooding in the 1970s devastated the community. Today, Bombay Beach is a shadow of its former self, with a population of around 350 people and a few surviving businesses amidst sunken trailer parks and abandoned buildings. A dike now protects the western portion of the town. Bombay Beach is one of the lowest-elevation communities in the U.S., sitting approximately 225 feet below sea level.

• Desert Shores: This small community, located on the west side of the Salton Sea, still supports a population of over 1,000 people and has experienced some growth in recent years. However, signs of its resort community past are still visible in the abandoned businesses and faded billboards that line its streets. During the Salton Sea‘s heyday in the 1950s and 60s, Desert Shores was a bustling community with a yacht club, marina, fishing barge, and numerous businesses. Tropical storms and rising sea levels in the 1970s flooded many of the shoreline resorts and homes.

• Niland: Once known as the "Tomato Capital of the World," Niland is another small town located near the Salton Sea. While its agricultural prominence has diminished, Niland still hosts an annual Tomato Festival, a tradition that has been celebrated for over 60 years. Like other towns in the area, Niland flourished as a fishing and hunting destination during the Salton Sea‘s peak years. Today, Niland is home to around 1,000 people, many of whom work at the nearby Calipatria Prison. The quirky Salvation Mountain, a colorful folk-art monument, is located just outside of town and attracts numerous visitors each year.

• North Shore: Developed in 1958, North Shore was another resort community that sought to capitalize on the Salton Sea‘s popularity. The town’s crown jewel was the North Shore Beach & Yacht Club, which opened in 1962 to much fanfare. The marina attracted the rich and famous, including Jerry Lewis, the Marx Brothers, and the Beach Boys. The yacht club hosted speedboat races, parties, and dances that drew large crowds. However, like other resorts on the Salton Sea, North Shore suffered from fluctuating water levels and flooding in the 1970s. The yacht club closed in 1981 after a severe flood damaged the jetty and marina. Today, the once-glamorous resort is largely abandoned. North Shore is now home to the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, one of California’s premier bird-watching destinations.

• Salton City: The most ambitious of the Salton Sea developments, Salton City was founded in the late 1950s with plans for 25,000 lots, 250 miles of paved roads, swimming pools, churches, parks, a golf course, and a luxury yacht club and hotel. The development was initially successful, with busloads of people being transported to view the new community. By 1964, approximately $20 million had been invested in the development, and around 15,000 lots had been sold. A yacht club was built, followed by motels, restaurants, a golf course, an airport, and other amenities. Brochures touted Salton City as Southern California’s premier sea resort. For a time, sailing regattas, powerboat races, Hawaiian luaus, and fishing tournaments attracted thousands of visitors, including celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dwight Eisenhower, and Desi Arnaz. However, the flooding of the lake and increasing salinity levels doomed Salton City’s plans. Today, the yacht club is closed, many businesses stand abandoned, and empty streets lined with dying palm trees offer hundreds of lots for sale but few homes. Despite its diminished state, Salton City still has a population of around 1,000 people and several open businesses.

Despite the ghostly atmosphere, the Salton Sea State Recreation Area still offers fishing, camping, picnicking, and boating opportunities. The Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge remains a haven for birdwatchers, with over 375 species of birds, many of which are endangered. The Salton Sea is located approximately 30 miles south of Indio, California, on Highway 111.