Camp Dunlap - Slab City, Imperial Co., California

CAMP DUNLAP & SLAB CITY

Imperial Co., CA

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I VISITED THIS FASCINATING two-generational Class B ghost on September 29, 2006. CAMP DUNLAP and SLAB CITY, California, are the same place - different generations. This, Twentieth-Century ghost is located east of the Salton Sea, deep in the southeastern corner of California, about three miles northeast of Niland, itself a struggling community of 1100 or so folks.

The story of this ghost began in February 1942, when the United States Navy Department obtained 631 acres of desert land east of Niland at the western foot of the Chocolate Mountains for use as the Camp Dunlap Naval Reservation. The military post was built during 1942 and some of the improvements included: 30-some buildings, a water treatment & distribution system, sewage collection & treatment system, eight miles of paved streets, a 76’ x 165’ swimming pool and concrete fuel tanks. The Marine Corps used Camp Dunlap as a training center, and some 185,000 troops were field artillery-trained here. When the war ended, training ended. However, the post is said to have been active until 1949, finally being demolished in 1956, with all the buildings being removed and the site abandoned.

In 1961, the land was returned to the State of California, and for the past 45 years has remained a checkerboard of roads with scattered concrete slabs, bunkers, guard posts, water tanks and foundations, all slowly being reclaimed by the desert. Even the paved roads are beginning to crumble.

This is where its second life comes in. Beginning in the 1950s, “Snowbirds” discovered the remaining slabs at Camp Dunlap to be a perfect refuge from winter cold and a good place to roost for the winter. As time when on, more folks arrived, and some even began to remain year-round, squatters on state land that no one wants. The Slabs (or Slab City) has become quite populous, with a large contingent of transients having taken up residence. Some estimates range as high as 2000. The community is an interesting one, and at the time of my visit in 2006, I saw scattered snowbirds mixed with other folks that had obviously squatted here a long time. However, based on the number of “rigs,” I would guess that the entire population was well under 250. RVs on site include everything from high dollar motorhomes through dead, 50-year old travel trailers. Abandoned cars and all kinds of assorted junk decorate many of the Slabber’s sites, some of which have established “permanent” homes with their dead vehicles.

For those who do stay here, there are no sewer hookups, no electricity, and no water, other than what each individual provides. A loose-knit community has formed, and is well aware of outsiders. If you do visit, please respect the privacy and rights of those living on the site. A lot of the remains of Camp Dunlap are still visible, and makes for an interesting outing.

On the main entry road to the site, is Salvation Mountain, Leonard Knight’s colorful tribute to God sprawling over 100 feet of a thirty-foot high bluff face. He has spent 15 years painting the mountainside, and has applied 40,000 gallons of paint. He accepts donations, which has raised the ire of some Slabbers. Some say he’s a genius folk artist, and others call him a nutcase. I never spoke with Leonard, but did enjoy looking at his creation from the road, finding it fascinating and a positive influence in an increasingly negative society.

Maybe the reason Slab City fascinated me so much is that it is one of the last places in America that still allows personal freedom to be displayed and tolerated. Love it or hate it, or anything in between, this is a unique member of Ghost Town USA!

Location:

· NE¼ Sec 36, T10S, R14E, San Bernardino Meridian

· Latitude: 33.2600364 / 3° 15' 36" N

· Longitude: -115.4660961 / 115° 27' 58" W

If you do visit Camp Dunlap/Slab City, PLEASE respect the rights of the residents and follow the Ghost Towner’s Code of Ethics.

This was our Ghost Town of the Month for October/November, 2006.

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