33 Astounding Photos Of The Salton Sea Then And Now

These photos reveal how the Salton Sea went from vacation to ghost town and now remains a forgotten piece of Americana.

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1 of 34A postcard promoting the Salton Sea as a family tourist destination during its heyday of the 1950s.

Instagram/@thesaltonsea 2 of 34This RV Park and cafe looks like it hasn’t seen a busy lunch crowd in decades. 2009.

Flickr/Philippe Reichert 3 of 34Fertilizers from local farms have drained into the Salton Sea and caused a think layer of algae, 2008.Wikipedia Commons/Nandaro 4 of 34As the algae dies, it creates a thick layer of dead muck on the lake’s bottom, cutting off oxygen. 2008.Wikimedia Commons 5 of 34Because the dead algae cuts off oxygen, hydrogen sulfide gas is created, killing wildlife. 2012.Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith 6 of 34Several dead tilapia on a dried-up patch of beach. 2013. CJ Glynn/Flickr 7 of 34A dead fish that died because of the polluted water. 2009. Flickr/Brazilfox 8 of 34A couple of proud anglers show off their catch from a day of fishing in the Salton Sea. 1962. Los Angeles Public Library 9 of 34An abandoned bait shop leftover from the area’s glory days. 2006.Wikipedia Commons/Kit Conn 10 of 34The area was once renowned for its beaches, but is now a shell of its former self. 2006.Wikipedia Commons/Jeremy Engleman 11 of 34The Bombay Beach Drive-In is now a junkyard for rusting cars. 2016.Flickr/slworking2 12 of 34The West Shores Baptist Church welcomes any visitors to the area. 2013.Wikipedia Commons/Tuxyso 13 of 34A family on the shore watches as people enjoy water sports. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library 14 of 34A postcard from the 1950s advertises the Hofbrou Restaurant, now long since closed. Instagram/@thesaltonsea 15 of 34Families enjoy a sunny day picnicking on busy beaches. 1958.Los Angeles Public Library 16 of 34The Ski Inn bar and grille is one of the few joints still kicking and is open seven days a week from morning until midnight to serve any customers who may walk through the door. 2017. Flickr/DClemm 17 of 34One of the numerous abandoned and forgotten structures littering the area. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith 18 of 34Parts of Bombay Beach now look like a bombed-out war zone. 2008.Wikipedia Commons/Alexander Novati 19 of 34Unfinished and abandoned houses sit on a street near the Salton Sea. 2010.Wikimedia Commons 20 of 34Another abandoned lot of Salton City and a reminder of a piece of Americana now gone. 2013. Flickr/Kazuo Murata 21 of 34A sign advertising the once popular nature activities that brought people to the area. 2013. Flickr/Adam 22 of 34Pelicans, gulls, and burrowing owls like this one still call the area home, though finding food isn’t always easy for them. 2015. Flickr/Chuck Coker 23 of 34The California drought is slowly shrinking the Salton Sea, leaving much of its lake bed cracked and dry. 2011. Flickr/Kent Davis 24 of 34Visitors to the area in the 1950s would have seen this sign that welcomed them to the beach and told them of the Salton Sea’s accidental creation. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library 25 of 34Geothermal activity has created “mud volcanoes” that can be up to eight feet high and ooze out mud that’s 128 degrees Fahrenheit. 2006. Wikimedia Commons/Atmoz 26 of 34A few teenagers investigate the water’s edge. 1938. Los Angeles Public Library 27 of 34An aerial view of the Salton Sea’s north shore. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library 28 of 34Salvation Mountain is a massive art installation covering a hill north of Calipatria, California, just several miles from the Salton Sea. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith 29 of 34A decorative truck parked at the Salvation Mountain art exhibit. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith 30 of 34The Bombay Beach Community Center is a place to gather for the 295 residents who call the town home. 2008. Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Novati 31 of 34A girl enjoys a walk along Bombay Beach with her dog. 1938. Los Angeles Public Library 32 of 34A busy day of boating on the waters of the Salton Sea. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library 33 of 34Sunset on the Salton Sea. 2016. Flickr/Slworking2 34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:

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From Hot Spot To Ghost Town: 33 Photos Of California’s Abandoned Salton Sea View Gallery

Just 60 miles from nearby Palm Springs with its meticulously maintained golf courses lies the Salton Sea, California’s largest lake and at one time during the mid-20th century, a tourism hot spot. Things have changed, however, and now it’s clear that time has not been kind to the Salton Sea.

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1 of 34A postcard promoting the Salton Sea as a family tourist destination during its heyday of the 1950s.

Instagram/@thesaltonsea 2 of 34This RV Park and cafe looks like it hasn’t seen a busy lunch crowd in decades. 2009.

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23 Eerie Photos Taken Inside Burj Al Babas, The Turkish Ghost Town Filled With Fairytale Castles

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1 of 34A postcard promoting the Salton Sea as a family tourist destination during its heyday of the 1950s.

Instagram/@thesaltonsea 2 of 34This RV Park and cafe looks like it hasn’t seen a busy lunch crowd in decades. 2009.

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23 Eerie Photos Taken Inside Burj Al Babas, The Turkish Ghost Town Filled With Fairytale Castles

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1 of 34A postcard promoting the Salton Sea as a family tourist destination during its heyday of the 1950s.

Instagram/@thesaltonsea 2 of 34This RV Park and cafe looks like it hasn’t seen a busy lunch crowd in decades. 2009.

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1 of 34A postcard promoting the Salton Sea as a family tourist destination during its heyday of the 1950s.

Instagram/@thesaltonsea

2 of 34This RV Park and cafe looks like it hasn’t seen a busy lunch crowd in decades. 2009.

Flickr/Philippe Reichert

3 of 34Fertilizers from local farms have drained into the Salton Sea and caused a think layer of algae, 2008.Wikipedia Commons/Nandaro

4 of 34As the algae dies, it creates a thick layer of dead muck on the lake’s bottom, cutting off oxygen. 2008.Wikimedia Commons

5 of 34Because the dead algae cuts off oxygen, hydrogen sulfide gas is created, killing wildlife. 2012.Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith

6 of 34Several dead tilapia on a dried-up patch of beach. 2013. CJ Glynn/Flickr

7 of 34A dead fish that died because of the polluted water. 2009. Flickr/Brazilfox

8 of 34A couple of proud anglers show off their catch from a day of fishing in the Salton Sea. 1962. Los Angeles Public Library

9 of 34An abandoned bait shop leftover from the area’s glory days. 2006.Wikipedia Commons/Kit Conn

10 of 34The area was once renowned for its beaches, but is now a shell of its former self. 2006.Wikipedia Commons/Jeremy Engleman

11 of 34The Bombay Beach Drive-In is now a junkyard for rusting cars. 2016.Flickr/slworking2

12 of 34The West Shores Baptist Church welcomes any visitors to the area. 2013.Wikipedia Commons/Tuxyso

13 of 34A family on the shore watches as people enjoy water sports. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library

14 of 34A postcard from the 1950s advertises the Hofbrou Restaurant, now long since closed. Instagram/@thesaltonsea

15 of 34Families enjoy a sunny day picnicking on busy beaches. 1958.Los Angeles Public Library

16 of 34The Ski Inn bar and grille is one of the few joints still kicking and is open seven days a week from morning until midnight to serve any customers who may walk through the door. 2017. Flickr/DClemm

17 of 34One of the numerous abandoned and forgotten structures littering the area. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith

18 of 34Parts of Bombay Beach now look like a bombed-out war zone. 2008.Wikipedia Commons/Alexander Novati

19 of 34Unfinished and abandoned houses sit on a street near the Salton Sea. 2010.Wikimedia Commons

20 of 34Another abandoned lot of Salton City and a reminder of a piece of Americana now gone. 2013. Flickr/Kazuo Murata

21 of 34A sign advertising the once popular nature activities that brought people to the area. 2013. Flickr/Adam

22 of 34Pelicans, gulls, and burrowing owls like this one still call the area home, though finding food isn’t always easy for them. 2015. Flickr/Chuck Coker

23 of 34The California drought is slowly shrinking the Salton Sea, leaving much of its lake bed cracked and dry. 2011. Flickr/Kent Davis

24 of 34Visitors to the area in the 1950s would have seen this sign that welcomed them to the beach and told them of the Salton Sea’s accidental creation. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library

25 of 34Geothermal activity has created “mud volcanoes” that can be up to eight feet high and ooze out mud that’s 128 degrees Fahrenheit. 2006. Wikimedia Commons/Atmoz

26 of 34A few teenagers investigate the water’s edge. 1938. Los Angeles Public Library

27 of 34An aerial view of the Salton Sea’s north shore. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library

28 of 34Salvation Mountain is a massive art installation covering a hill north of Calipatria, California, just several miles from the Salton Sea. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith

29 of 34A decorative truck parked at the Salvation Mountain art exhibit. 2012. Library of Congress/Carol Highsmith

30 of 34The Bombay Beach Community Center is a place to gather for the 295 residents who call the town home. 2008. Wikimedia Commons/Alexander Novati

31 of 34A girl enjoys a walk along Bombay Beach with her dog. 1938. Los Angeles Public Library

32 of 34A busy day of boating on the waters of the Salton Sea. 1958. Los Angeles Public Library

33 of 34Sunset on the Salton Sea. 2016. Flickr/Slworking2

34 of 34Like this gallery?Share it:

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From Hot Spot To Ghost Town: 33 Photos Of California’s Abandoned Salton Sea View Gallery

From Hot Spot To Ghost Town: 33 Photos Of California’s Abandoned Salton Sea

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The sea — a lake, actually — was created by accident in 1905 when flooding from the Colorado River into irrigation canals eventually led a 40-mile stretch of desert known as the Salton Sink to fill with water, thus creating the lake.

Because its waters never discharge into the ocean and just seep into the ground or evaporate, the water has a high salinity level that just goes up as the years roll on.

Its salinity level was much lower 70 years ago, however, and the area quickly became a vacation spot, drawing tourists to the area year-round. At the Salton Sea’s peak, it was pulling in 1.5 million visitors annually, more than Yosemite at that time.

The area’s reputation for fun on the lake and fishing didn’t last long and by the 1970s the fish population had begun to die. With a dwindling fish supply and water that had rising salinity levels as well as fertilizer runoff, tourism quickly dried up.

But then, a glimmer of hope arrived for the area in 2002, when a utility company made a deal to divert billions of gallons of water to the surrounding San Diego County on the condition that the state of California would assume future responsibility for the lake. The company would supply mitigation water from farmland to offset the Salton Sea’s shrinkage. California failed to take appropriate action, however, and the area has now become an ecological sore spot.

Large parts of the lake have since dried up, leading to dust storms and several public health concerns.

Salton City and Bombay Beach, which lay near the lake, are now shells of their former selves with abandoned motels and rusted out RVs looking like tombstones of a forgotten era. The area still has a small population, but most of its 15,000 residents left long ago, leaving behind the remnants of a forgotten piece of Americana.

Next after viewing these Salton Sea photos, see more of the Salton Sea. Then, check out some European natural wonders sure to spur your wanderlust.

These photos reveal how the Salton Sea went from vacation to ghost town and now remains a forgotten piece of Americana.#

These photos reveal how the Salton Sea went from vacation to ghost town and now remains a forgotten piece of Americana.