SLAB CITYLife in the Pits of the California Badlands
PHOTOS BY PETER SUTHERLAND
Set beside the Imperial Valley in southeastern California, the Salton Sea area was supposed to be Hollywood’s answer to the Riviera back in the 50s. But its developers failed to anticipate the raw sewage that would run up the New River from Mexico and make survival impossible for many aquatic species. Rotting fish guts and toxic debris soon littered the shoreline. Construction projects were abandoned, and yet another impotent vision of luxury tourism was left flaccid. Thanks again, trash!
Today the entire Imperial Valley is an apocalyptic dustbowl in the center of the California badlands. We set out to explore this fetid bouillabaisse. What we found were remnants of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range, a half-million-acre plot that was once the practice site for various governmental bombardiers. It is the place of business for the residents of a nearby compound known as Slab City—a mostly insane coterie of fun-hunting drifters, vets, addicts, artists, and crazies who subsist on sautéed snake, lukewarm Tecate, money earned from scrapping bombshell fragments, and what’s left of their wits. It’s pretty much all that remains of the Wild West.
Get to know the cast of the Slab City funny farm this month on Toxic on VBS.TV.
 Anonymous, on Jun 12, 2009 wrote:
peter sutherland is my new favorite photographer. | | Anonymous, on Jun 12, 2009 wrote:
"beer and ponds and pitbull puppies and monster truck skateboards. how can you go wrong with that combination? you can’t."
how about the fact that it’s fucking 110 degrees at 3 in the morning? | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
Salvation Mountain is the coolest. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
Rattlesnake is actually quite tasty. More dense than chicken with more flavor.
You gonna eat that? | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
Santa Barbara ended up being the legit Riviera... holler | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
Also: Into the Wild. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
I love the rocky painting... really goes with the whole decorating theme of the place | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
anthony bourdain did part of an episode about the salton sea on his show. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
it would be fun as hell to get a group together and just go off-road skateboarding. i rmemeber seeing a jackass or wildboyz episode where they do that.. | |
| joe bananas, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
Im liking the picture of the hanging tree, looks like you chill out perhaps roll a tyre around bit of climbing all good wholesome fun. while out your mind on meth. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
I’m fine with the reptile eating...as long as there is no pit pull puppy eating. but after being on a diet of pure snake I cant really trust those people not to go for the dogs.... | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
haha, nothing like a pet snake wrapped round you to keep it red neck as humanly possible, shame they are going to have to eat old slithery, its the recessions fault. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
@bird is the word. i would say that is a fairly safe bet. but they still have their faith, home made crosses here and their, paintings of their spiritual leader (rocky) | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
this all sounds pretty good, expect for the sautéed snake part. thats a deal breaker for me | |
| bird is the word, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
i watched a movie called "the salton sea" once with val kilmer. i don’t remember it having anything to do with the environment but more so meth. supposedly it’s an area ridden with meth addicts | |
| hooohaaa, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
what does it mean "red touches yellow, kill a fellow?" that kinda makes me a bit uneasy about the whole thing. | |
| halzer, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
that doesn’t appear to be running water from a river (it all dried up right?). so it’s probably rain water and all good for swimming and beer drinking. it could use a rope swing for added fun. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
what kind of beer are they drinking? if its miller then there is no way im going there....... unless it was really really cold. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
so is this like the california version of a shantytown or something? | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
check out the all terrain skateboard! that thing is awesome, its good to see they are still together enough for a bit of ingenuity. however some have obviously slipped if i walked into a place and saw that rocky painting i would be expecting to be hit in the back of the head with a blunt object for trying to take rockies soul. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
looks like those guys swimming didnt get the message about the raw sewage. yuck | |
| poozer, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
is this the place that nomads retire? i think i saw something about this place a long time ago. it may have been a photo set on flickr now that i think about it. it’s somewhat organized and they make public art spaces and stuff. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
other than the filth it looks like a fun place. beer and ponds and pitbull puppies and monster truck skateboards. how can you go wrong with that combination? you can’t. | | Anonymous, on Jun 10, 2009 wrote:
the offroad skateboard made my fucking day. | | | < Previous 30 comments | |
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