Dead Fish in the Desert: A Brief Photo-History of The Salton Sea

Authors

Alicia Gutierrez, CSUSB

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Located around 150 miles to the east and south of Los Angeles lies an unburied treasure and an ecological hotbed of debate. While you may not find the treasure in the archetypal sense, you’ll find it in a still, stagnant, and salty body of water in the middle of the desert, the Salton Sea. Considered by many to be an ecological disaster, or a big puddle of sewage, few people take the time to see or smell past all these negative characteristics and find the history behind it. The Salton Sea was once a human-made desert Riviera, but now, it’s come to be the abandoned, neglected brainchild of profit-seeking exploiters. Presently, government and environmental groups are trying to figure out how to deal with the Salton Sea. Understanding the quandary of the Salton Sea relies heavily on understanding its history. Human’s adaptation to the environment can create a desert oasis-turned-wasteland, but ultimately, it’s up to humanity to fix the mess that has been created and unearth the dissipating potential of the Salton Sea.

Recommended Citation

Gutierrez, Alicia (2009) "Dead Fish in the Desert: A Brief Photo-History of The Salton Sea," History in the Making: Vol. 2, Article 8.
Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making/vol2/iss1/8