The Salton Sea: A Look At How Art Grew From Ashes

The Salton Sea, started by accident. It became "America's Riviera," then succumbed to flooding and pollution and is now a ghost town with rotting remains of what was once a bustling city. Despite the decaying state of Salton, a wonderful work of art came out of nowhere to bring rays of light and hope amidst the devastation.

In 1900, the Salton Sea was a salty, dry lake bed. The state started a project to redirect the Colorado River to bring more water to Southern California. By 1904, some of the irrigation canals began to clog and in an especially rainy year, the canals flooded and much of the Colorado River flowed straight into the Salton Sea for two years.

Though they eventually stopped the flooding, California's largest lake was born. Called a sea due to the high salt content, Salton became a very successful fishery in the 40's and was a well-to-do resort destination in the 1950's. Houses and hotels popped up everywhere as "America's Riviera" thrived.

By the 60's, things started taking a turn. Water began to evaporate from the sea, yet the water levels remained the same. This was because farms drainage ditches were letting their waste flow directly into Salton. As the water evaporated, the salt and fertilizer would remain, making the sea a murky mess.

Algae began to bloom, feeding off the bacteria in the fertilizer. The stench was horrendous and since the temperatures could get up to 110 degrees, people started moving away.

Then, California was hit with back to back tropical storms in 1976 and 1977, which completely flooded buildings on the beach. Some flooded homes and businesses were just abandoned, left to decay in the toxic sea.

But the worst was still to come. The concentration of waste and salt became so high, that fish were starting to die off en masse. Thousands of fish would die due to the algae feeding on all of the oxygen in the sea. The birds that ate the dead fish would die of botulism. Now, between the smell of fertilizer, algae, hoards of rotting fish and birds, Salton Sea was losing it's charms. The fine beach destination was now a ghost town.

The story doesn't end there. After the city had been abandoned, though a brave few did still live in the remains, a man landed from the sky to give the sea some hope. No, this isn't the Wizard of Oz, it really happened. 

Leonard Knight's hot air balloon crashed down near the Salton Sea. Knight knew that God wanted him to continue spread his message to this barren place.

Knight began building a huge mountain with anything he could find, hay bales, paint, adobe. He lived in a truck, with no electricity, while he made his creation. After four years, he had quite a monument, but it collapsed into a garbage heap on the sand.

So, he started again! He made another monument. Friends and well wishers would help with the building and painting and all of them contributed to the mountain that's still standing today.

Known as Salvation Mountain, it's painted in bright, rainbow colors, with religious messages and words of love. It really looks like a miracle in the middle of the desert. For years, people brought paint to continue his work and add as much color as they could to the Salton Sea.

In 2002, the local government wanted to tear down the monument and start taxing the few still living on the land. Many people protested and petitioned the to save the site and Sen. Barbara Boxer entered Salvation Mountain into the Congressional Record as a national treasure.

Knight remained at the site until 2012, when he had to live elsewhere due to health issues. He died in 2014 and now his friends watch over the mountain and vow to keep it safe.

So, from mistake, to haven, to decrepit desert, the a passionate work of art has allowed Salton Sea to rise again and give a message from heaven. Just love.