Salvation Mountain and Slab City
Leonard Knight came to the area near Niland, east of the Salton Sea, in the mid-1980s. After a hot-air balloon project fell through, he began building a monument from adobe clay, straw and donated paint. Over time it became Salvation Mountain, a hill about 50 feet high covered in bright colors, Bible verses and the words "God Is Love."
In 1994 Imperial County officials said the site was toxic and wanted it removed. Tests didn't back that up, supporters spoke up, and the mountain stayed. Senator Barbara Boxer entered it into the Congressional Record as a national treasure in 2002. Knight lived there until his health gave out, and he died in 2014. Volunteers have kept up the painting since. He is one of the people in Desert Eccentric.
Slab City and East Jesus
Next door is Slab City, named for the concrete pads left behind by Camp Dunlap, a Marine training base that closed in the 1950s. Snowbirds, artists and people living off grid camp there with no utilities. An art installation called East Jesus sits at the edge. Summer temperatures can top 110 degrees, so most people visit in winter.
Sources: Salvation Mountain Inc. (salvationmountaininc.org); Congressional Record, 2002; Los Angeles Times obituary of Leonard Knight, February 2014.
Illustration: AI-generated, artistic interpretation.