Guide to the Ghost Towns of the Salton Sea area, California

FADED DREAMS-

GHOST TOWNS Around a GHOST SEA

A Guide to the Place Names, Ghost Towns, Fading Communities and

Other Interesting Sites surrounding the Salton Sea in Imperial and

Riverside Counties, California

The SALTON SEA is located with its surface level, 227 feet BELOW mean sea level. This extremely saline, shallow (max depth 51'), inland lake/sea sits at the bottom of the Salton Sink, straddling the Riverside/Imperial County line in southeastern California. It was formed between 1905 and 1907 when heavy flooding along the Colorado River caused the river to break through its banks at the site of an unfinished irrigation canal. It quickly eroded canals and sand berms, flowing down the Alamo and New Rivers towards the sub-sea level sink. By the time the rampaging river was diverted back into its banks and the flooding stopped, the new sea had become the largest lake wholly located inside California.

Over the years not much was done with the huge lake, but in the 1920s two enterprising gentlemen named Gus Eilers and John Goldthwait established a small resort along the northeastern shore and instituted powerboat races….

COMING 2015 - FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!

In this soon to be completed guide, detailed historical vignettes and locations are given for over 50 locations ranging from railroad sidings to military posts, and from dead marinas to moribund lakeside communities. Included with the vignettes are a number of photos taken in late 2006, early 2007 and late 2009 of many of these locations (and SOON – hopefully – early 2015.) This will be the first of the Ghost Town Guru's Guides to contain photos.

Please excuse the delay in this project. Unfortunately it got derailed when I wrote then marketed the book – Ghost Towns – Yesterday & Today. Afterward, I retired from my day job (a second time) and soon should have the time needed to finish this LONG project. I am again working on fine-tuning some of the historical vignettes, and hope to take a last trip around the Sea in a few weeks for a photo session. Then it will be time to finish writing and get it into print!

I appreciate those of you who have contacted me and have encouraged my endeavoring to produce this guide. In conjunction with this guide, I hope to also produce a Guide to the Ghost Towns of Imperial County at or near the same time. Any and all period/historic photographs are welcome and will be credited to the owner of them.

Thank you for your patience, and now that I am officially retired from my “day job”, I hope to not have any more updates for this page except – DONE!

These are the three supplementary web pages I have posted with detailed lists of places I need additional information on.

Imperial County Ghost Towns

Salton Sea Area Ghost Towns

Salton Sea Marinas

Keep watching this page for more news…

Gary

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FIRST POSTED: August 10, 2007

LAST UPDATED: January 06, 2015