Slab City – Will sale shut down legendary RV boondocking spot?

“Love, Brother Love say, Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show. Pack up the babies, and grab the old ladies. And everyone goes …” —Neil Diamond

“Everyone goes” — to Slab City. A retired Marine air base, Slab City is perhaps the most-visited non-conformist RV boondocking spot in the U.S. Tucked into the Southern California landscape, visitors are greeted by a monument built to faith, Salvation Mountain. But now some question whether that mountain, and the oddball lifestyle associated with Slab City, will continue. And if RVers may find one of the biggest winter boondocking sites closed down.

Slab City—A former Marine base

Before it was “The Slabs,” the nearly square mile chunk of the desert near the Salton Sea was known as Camp Dunlap. The military needed a spot within range of aircraft carriers posted near San Diego. The base was opened in 1942, and by any measure was a thoroughly “modern” base with running water, a sewer system, and garbage collection. For three years, Marines brought Camp Dunlap alive, but then, the war ended. By 1956, the Marines were gone, the buildings razed. All that remained were the concrete slabs marking out where constructs had once been. Hence, Slab City.

But veterans remembered Camp Dunlap, and some, eventually returned. No running water. No sewers. And certainly no garbage trucks. What could draw someone to The Slabs? It was a refuge. Slab City attracted folks seeking an alternative lifestyle like a magnet. It helped that in 1961 the military deeded over the old base to the state.

We don’t know how long it took, but more and more people came. Not just displaced veterans, but heaven knows there were plenty of them. People who were down. People who had no place else to go. But people, all the same, with imaginings and creativity. Soon “neighborhoods” began to pop up across The Slabs. When we visited in the 1990s, Slab City practically had its own government. Volunteers who helped guide—not too firmly—but giving a little structure.

Daily “radio broadcasts”

We remember listening to the daily “radio broadcast.” You need the news of happenings on The Slabs? Maybe it was a dance out where all the schoolies parked. Somebody had a solar panel to sell. Somebody else needed help with repairs. How do you get the word out? Mainstream commercial radio stations would pay no mind to “Slabbers,” as the residents dubbed themselves. So they took to a CB radio channel at a given time each day and set up their own “broadcasts.” It was, perhaps, a forerunner to “social media.”

But like other RVers, we were welcome to The Slabs, even if we were “Normies,” as non-Slabbers are called. Today, while daytime highs can easily roll up into the low-100s, there’s a relative handful of Slabbers. Come winter, the RV snowbirds migrate into the area, and the population can blast up into the thousands. Yes, you’d best be self-contained, and know that if you “need something from the store,” your closest civilization contact is in Niland, California—”and it ain’t much, but it’s something.”

Salvation Mountain—The salvation of the Slabbers?

Perhaps the most famous caller to The Slabs was Leonard Knight. Born in 1931, Knight “did his bit” during the Korean War. Knight’s vision was to build a hot air balloon emblazoned with the words, “GOD IS LOVE.” He actually built one, with a patchwork of materials, but it simply never got off the ground, despite his efforts. Attracted to Slab City, in 1984 he began work on his monument of faith called Salvation Mountain.

It was a big construct built out of concrete and donated paint. He worked at it for some five years, and then a tremendous rainstorm caused a crack in his mountain, eventually leading to the “mountain’s” collapse. Knight started out again, and eventually, Salvation Mountain was rebuilt several hundred feet wide, and multiple stories high. For a while, a rumor went around that nobody wanted to buy the land on which The Slabs exist. Why? Because the paint used in the construction of Salvation Mountain was so toxic, it was said, it would cost too much to clean it up. Hence, Salvation Mountain was the salvation of the Slabbers.

And now, two groups want to buy Slab City

That all turned out to be so much hogwash, or even whitewash. Knight always maintained he never used toxic paint in his mountain, and tests proved that no lead was present. But Salvation Mountain may not prove to be the protective amulet that Slabbers and visiting RV Normies need. Two groups are maneuvering to buy Slab City—and one has its own religious connections.

One T.D. Walton, who describes himself as a “Christ follower” but who eschews “organized religion,” has offered the State of California $1.5 million for Slab City. He’s even plunked down a certified check for $25,000 as a deposit on the deal. In a letter to the state, Walton wrote he intends to “preserve and rehabilitate Salvation Mountain and Slab City to a safe space with a good reputation.” He intends to disband the existing group that oversees the preservation of Salvation Mountain.

The latter group, Salvation Mountain Inc., is a non-profit group that’s worked hand-in-hand with the “community” of Slab City. Both Walton and Salvation Mountain Inc. applied last year to purchase The Slabs. The two groups have different views. While Walton wants to give “Slab City” a good reputation, Salvation Mountain and the existing community say they have other plans. Their vision is to offer “a permanent homestead for those who have nowhere else to go, and to those who have resided on the land for decades, including three generations of local families, many veterans and low and no income Californians, who depend on affordable housing programs.”

Since many of the Slabbers exist on disability benefits, or have no income at all, selling goods and artwork to visiting Normies is the backbone of the Slab City economy. Even if Walton allowed Slabbers to continue living on The Slabs, there’s no telling what his plans are for Snowbirds. If Snowbirds saw an end of the welcome mat, no doubt many Slab residents would be in serious trouble. It seems likely that if the Salvation Mountain organization prevails with purchase, life would likely go on much the same.

Want to share your thoughts?

The decision of to whom to sell, or even to sell The Slabs, is up to the California State Lands Commission. They’ve got both purchase proposals on the table right now. If you’re interested in commenting, you might fire off your thoughts to them at 100 Howe Avenue, Suite 100 South, Sacramento, CA 95825. While there’s presently no official public comment period open, they may put you on a list to be notified when and if it does open. Meantime, keep your eyes open. We’ll keep you posted as information becomes available.

##RVT1110b