Ghost Towns of the
SALTON SEA area,
CALIFORNIA’S SALTON SEA is a very interesting location for ghost towners to explore. I am currently completing a guide to those ghost towns, and below is a brief
outline of that work. FADED DREAMS-GHOST TOWNS OF THE SALTON SEA should
be available in early 2008. Please note
any changes here.
PLEASE HELP! I’m looking for additional HISTORICAL INFORMATION AND PERIOD PHOTOS
for the Marinas,
Yacht Clubs and other sea-related
places that once operated along the shoreline of the Salton Sea, in Imperial
& Riverside Co.,
I am also looking for
information on the Ghost Towns of Imperial
County, CA.
PLEASE contact me if you ever visited any of
these places OR know of any that are not listed. Thank you!
* * *
In a 1961 article this
was one of the Aplanned
communities in the making@. Location not determined, but it’s probably at
or near the
AL & CHRIS= RV
PARK (Imp)
...SEE
Corvina Estates
BENSON(S)
LANDING (Imp) el
-233
AKA - Westmorland Landing
This old marina and landing
was located on the southwestern corner shore of the Salton Sea, at the north
end of Poe Road, two miles north of SH 86 at a point nine miles northwest of
Westmorland, 6.9 miles southeast of the junction of SH 78/ 86. It was very active in the 1960s.
BERTRAM
(SIDING) (Imp)
This Southern Pacific
Railroad siding is located about four miles south of the county line on the
east side of the
MAY BE an
earlier name for
BOB=S
PLAYA
AKA - Playa
Located just south of the county
line, west of SH 111 and about a quarter mile north of Corvina Estates. This was a private campground and a boat
launch and boat rental facility.
This fading Class D
town is located along the east shore of the
CALEB
(SIDING) (Riv)
AKA - Caleb=s
Siding
This Southern Pacific Railroad
siding/loading point was located just west of
Location not determined,
but it was just north of the county line along the eastern shore of the
sea. That would place it in the vicinity
of the highway just west of Durmid Siding.
COOLIDGE
SPRINGS (Imp)
On Coolidge Springs Road,
in the far northwest corner of the county, 0.5 mile west of SH 86, just
southwest of Desert Shores, west of the Salton Sea. It is across the street from a privately
owned house. Remains include a few
concrete foundation slabs for what appears to have been a hotel type
structure. Bricks remain from the
fireplace base. Several other slabs
remain of this Class B
ghost.
AKA -
In 1939,
CORVINA
ESTATES (Imp)
AKA - Al & Chris= RV
Park
Located along the west
side of SH 111, 0.4 mile south of the county line. It consists of an abandoned café along the
highway and an RV park located in a cluster of trees along the east side of the
sea.
CORVINA MARINA (Imp)
...
Predating
the formation of the sea by a decade, this Apaper
town@ was
platted in April, 1894 and the plat was recorded February 13, 1895. The proposed town covered an entire section
(640 acres) a mile southeast of present-day
...
DE ANZA BAY MARINA (Imp)
...SEE Lido
Palms
...
AKA - Date Palm Beach,
Eiler=s
Salton Sea Resort,
This faded beach
community is located on the northeastern shore of the Salton Sea about a
quarter mile south of the
DESERT
CAMP (Riv)
AKA -
This appears to be a mobile
home development, and is located a quarter mile south of SH 111, 6.5 miles
southeast of
Was located north of the
DESERT
SEA RANCHOS (Riv)
This mobile home park site is
located at the east end of
DESERT
SHORES (Imp)
AKA - Corvina
With a 2000 population of
792, this Class E ACensus Designated Place@ community is technically
not a ghost town. However, it has faded
tremendously since its heyday in the 1958-1976 period. It was part of the late 1950s-early 1960s
resort boom along the western shore of the
This is our current Ghost Town of the Month (Sept 2007)
DOS
PALMAS (Riv)
This site is located
about one AIR mile southwest of Dos Palmas Spring, about 5.5 AIR miles east
southeast of
DOS
PALMAS STATION (Riv) el Unk
AKA - Dos Palmos Post
Office
This Southern Pacific
Railroad station along was established in 1877, also serving as a construction
camp, railroad maintenance center and a terminus for travelers heading east via
the
DOS PALMOS POST OFFICE (Riv)
...SEE
Dos Palmas Station
DRY
ICE WELLS (Imp)
This abandoned site is
located on the east shore of the
DURMID
(SIDING) (Riv)
This Southern Pacific
Railroad station and siding was located on the east shore of the
EILERS
SALTON SEA RESORT (Riv)
...
EL
RANCHO
This privately-operated campground/trailer
park was located on the south side of SH 111, 0.3 miles east of Desert Camp,
about 1.8 miles west of
$
Southwest corner
of Grant St/SH111 (1976, 77) According to the Google Map/GNIS hybrid aerial
photo, this is now cultivated farmland.
$
One half mile
west of Desert Camp, three miles east of the above location (1982). This also appears to be cultivated land now.
FERRUM
(SIDING)/JUNCTION (Riv)
AKA - Salton Siding
(#2)
This railroad
siding/junction was established in 1948 by Henry J. Kaiser at the Southern
Pacific Railroad siding of Salton (#2).
Here his Eagle Mountain Railroad branch line met the Southern Pacific. Both rail lines are still intact with a
number of spurs and sidings in the complex. It is along the north side of SH
111 two miles north of the county line at MP 2.0. Rubble and a large bin also remain.
There are two locations
for this historic old spring.
$
The original site was
located just north of the county line on the west shore of the
$
The second site was located
at the former Agua Dulce Spring, east of Oasis(?). In 1913, there was an oasis with a Aquicksand pool@, three
or four palm trees, tall bushes and a fig orchard owned and operated by a
91-year old (in 1913) AFigtree John@
Razón.
FISH
CAMP (#1) (Imp)
This location sits
underwater about 4.5 miles northeast of Elmore Desert Ranch on a direct line
between the junction of SH 78/86 and Calipatria.
FISH
CAMP (#2) (Imp)
This name was shown on a 1947
era
FISH
SPRINGS (Imp)
This old site was located
in the vicinity of
FLOWING
WELLS (Riv)
This place name appears
to be located along SH 111 about three miles southeast of
FRINK
(SIDING) (Imp)
AKA - Frinks
This Southern Pacific
Railroad siding is located on the northwest side of the junction of SH 111/
FRINKS (Imp)
...SEE
Frink Siding
HELEN=S
BEACH HOUSE & HARBOR (Imp)
...
...
IMPERIAL
SALT COMPANY PLANT (Imp)
This old salt processing
plant was located 12 AIR miles northwest of Niland. The site is underwater now
and was located just off the end of the
AKA - De
This marina was once located
at the north end of
...SEE The
Corners
MARINE
VILLAS (Imp)
It was listed in a 1961
article a Aplanned
communities in the making@. The location is not determined.
This improved campground
is located 1.5 miles southeast of the Salton Sea State Recreation Area
headquarters.
MORTMAR
(SIDING) (Riv)
AKA - Mortmer, Mortmere
This
Southern Pacific Railroad siding and former station is located in the heart of
highway
and the residential district of North Shore Estates, along the north side of
the
southeast
of
When
it was relocated, it was renamed Mortmar. Foundation of a section house,
tamarisk trees and rubble remain.
MORTMER (Riv)
...SEE
Mortmar
MORTMERE (Riv)
...SEE
Mortmar
In the early 1950s the
island was actually a peninsula on the southeast shore of the Salton Sea five AIR
miles west-southwest of Niland and just north of the mouth of the
NAVAL
AUXILIARY AIR STATION -
AKA - Naval Air Facility -
Salton Sea, Salton Sea Base, Salton Sea Naval Base, Salton Sea Naval Test Base,
Salton Sea Test Base, US Salton Sea Base
This historic old Navy
Air Station was in operation 1942-1979, and was located on a small
peninsula/point, on the southwestern shore of the
...SEE Skip=s
Store
NEW
The salt works were
established around 1884 when salt was harvested from the dry playa. The salt was then hauled to Salton (#1) for
shipping. A spur line ran out into the
dry lake bed west of the station. In
1906, the salt works were flooded out.
It still underwater due south of
NILAND
MARINA (Imp)
Located 1.9 miles west of
The Corners, this abandoned marina and campground is partially flooded by the
AKA -
The community sits on
both sides of SH 111, on the northeastern Acorner@ of the Salton Sea about
nine miles southeast of
(OASIS)
LANDING (Riv)
An UNNAMED boat Alaunching ramp@ was shown on several
mid-1960s maps on the western
...
PALM
...
PLAYA
...SEE Bob=s Playa
POPE (SIDING) (Imp)
This
former Southern Pacific station and siding was located 1.8 miles west of the
Hot Mineral Spa Road crossing and 1.0 mile northeast of the Bombay Beach Road
turnoff from SH 111 on the east side of the Salton Sea. In November 2006 all that remained were some
concrete and rubble from what may have been the former station. No siding remains.
RANCHO DOS PALMAS (Riv)
This
site is located about one AIR mile southwest of Dos Palmas Spring and about 5.5
AIR miles east southeast of
...also
SEE Dos Palmas (above)
RANCHO MARINA
(Imp)
This
marina included boat launching and rentals, and had a privately owned
campground. It was located a half mile
north of
RED HILL MARINA (Imp)
I
have not visited this marina, which is still shown on maps southwest of Niland
on the east side of the
SALT CREEK BEACH/CAMPGROUND (Riv)
This
unimproved campground is located on the east shore just south of Salt Creek and
1.5 miles north of the county line.
SALTON
(#1) (Riv)
This
Southern Pacific Railroad, station and siding served the New Liverpool Salt
Company facility about a half mile west. It was a company-owned salt camp and
had the appropriate housing and commercial development needed to support the
salt mining camp. In 1906 it all closed
when the rail line and salt works were flooded by the rapidly forming
SALTON (#2) (Riv)
...SEE Salton Siding (#2)
...
The
fortunes of this quiet Class
E community have gone up and down with the
fortunes of the sea itself. Originally
envisioned as a major resort, it was established in 1958 by M. Penn Phillips, a
subsidiary of the Holly Corporation. By 1959, the town was heavily promoted and
subdivided, while development began in earnest. By 1962 some 160 homes had been
built on the 19,600 acre site. A yacht
club was built, motels, restaurants, a championship golf course, airport and
other amenities followed. Sailing
regattas, powerboat races and fishing derbies attracted crowds of countless
thousands of people.
At the time of my visits in November and December 2006,
several hundred homes were under construction, but construction appeared to
have stopped, victims of the current real estate bust. Existing homes lie scattered about the large
townsite interspersed with long stretches of graded lots covered with
scrub. Lines of telephone poles outline
undeveloped lots. Roads are crumbling
and hundreds of imported palm trees lining those roads are dying. A number of still-active businesses remain.
This
is going to be an interesting town to watch.
SALTON
...
SALTON PARKSIDE (Imp)
Mobile
home development (???) It was located on the west side of
SALTON PARKVIEW ESTATES (Imp)
Possibly
a failed mobile home development located on the east side of the road and 3/4
mile southeast of Salton Parkside.
