Located
near Palm Springs,
the Salton Sea is an inland saline lake, occupying the lowest
elevations of the Salton Sink, part of the larger Colorado Desert
in Southern California, north of the Imperial Valley. The lake
covers a surface area of approximately 376 square miles, making
it the largest lake in California.
Once part of the vast inland sea which covered the area, the Salton
Sink was the site of a major salt mining operation. Throughout
the Spanish period of California's history the area was referred
to as the 'Colorado Desert' after the Rio Colorado (Colorado River).
In the 1853/55 railroad survey, it was called 'The Valley of the
Ancient Lake'. On several old maps from the Library of Congress,
it has been found labeled 'Cahuilla Valley' (after the local Indian
tribe) and 'Cabazon Valley' (after a local Indian chief - Chief
Cabazon). 'Salt Creek' first shows up on a map in 1867 and 'Salton
Station' is on a railroad map from 1900 although this place had
been there as a rail stop since the late 1870s. The name 'Salton'
appears to be from the fact that they had been mining salt in
the area at least as early as 1815. A yearly expedition traveled
to the area to mine salt for Los Angeles residents. With the extension
of a rail line through the basin, large scale salt mining started
in 1884. After that, the general area is referred to as the 'Salton
Sink' or the 'Salton Basin'. ‘Sink’ or ‘basin’ referring to the
natural bowl type geography of the area. [edit] Creation of the
current Salton Sea The Salton Sea as it exists today is the aftermath
of a man-made environmental disaster that occurred between 1905
and 1907, when improper management of irrigation routes from the
Colorado River caused the river to flow unchecked into the Salton
Sink for some two years. Early efforts to provide irrigation to
the fertile Imperial Valley region had culminated in the creation
of the Imperial Canal, leading from intakes on the Colorado River
to the below-sea-level Imperial Valley.
In the 1920s, the Salton Sea developed into a tourist attraction,
because of its water recreation, and the waterfowl attracted to
the area. The Salton Sea remains a major resource for migrating
and wading birds. It has also had some success as a fishery in
the past, with species such as mullet, corvina, sargo, and tilapia
being introduced to the Sea from the 1930s to the 1950s. The Salton
Sea has had some success as a resort area, with Salton City, Salton
Sea Beach, and Desert Shores being built on the western shore
and Desert Beach, North Shore, and Bombay Beach built on the eastern
shore in the 1950s. The town of Niland is located 2 miles southeast
of the Sea as well. The evidence of geothermal activity is also
visible. There are mud pots and mud volcanoes on the eastern side
of the Salton Sea.
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