Slab City! a.k.a. Niland, CA

[Floater]

My ex and I visited "The Slabs" not too long ago and it was really cool. We went because it was a place I really wanted to go ever since I saw the movie "Into The Wild" (awesome freakin' movie!). Staying at Slab City was awesome and I would totally suggest it to anyone traveling the southwest. WARNING! Don't go in the summer unless you enjoy feeling like a roasted turkey; then, I guess you can love it's FREE, post apocolyptic, desert charm all year round.

 

[Pheonix]

I would like to go sometime, I wanted to go there and retire but I don't think I'd enjoy the 120 degree summers. I'm a former farmer and wanted to try to raise chickens there but my life is going a different route now, but this plan of mine will always be on the back burner.

 

[Floater]

The summers there are cruel. It was still a lot of fun though and the people there tend to be nice enough. I would like to return sometime soon and relive it, hopefully be able to stay longer.

 

[Pheonix]

I was afraid that if I did try to raise chickens there, I might get so much BS from animal activists that I'd leave, but I don't know I've never been there.

 

[Kim Chee]

I was afraid that if I did try to raise chickens there, I might get so much BS from animal activists that I'd leave, but I don't know I've never been there.

I'm not sure how much shit you'd get, Pheonix. Your animals might be a little distressed and show you by dropping off like flies from the heat. If you find a working solution to the heat issue, please share.

I haven't been there, but I have been near there on the train. Just prior to being pulled off by border patrol on the train, the track detector indicated it was 100* at 11:30pm which was a couple degrees cooler than further east.

The few people who make their home there year round must be tough.

 

[Pheonix]

the secret is in getting a breed that can handle the heat and unfortunately the breeds that are better at dealling with heat are smaller in size, but a smaller chicken is better then a chicken that is going to heat stroke before it gets to production size. I was looking at a breed called the Cinnamon Queen. And off course keep them in the shade I was going to ghillie net their whole enclosure to provide shade And I was wondering how to build it over a 4 foot hole to provide better heat protection.

I did a quick search and found these 15 threads and videos about Slab City.

http://punknomad.com/community/threads/farming-the-slabs.12536/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/a-day-at-the-mud-pots.12832/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/abandoned-niland.12833/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/bombay-beach-the-salton-sea-and-abandoned-trailers.12831/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/an-introduction-to-east-jesus.12830/
http://punknomad.com/community/media/flying-over-slab-city.568/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/slab-city-covered-by-npr.11892/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/flying-over-the-slabs.11621/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/so-im-curious.11477/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/slab-city-in-la-times.11493/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/slab-city.11387/
http://punknomad.com/community/thre...lyptic-life-in-a-pre-apocalyptic-world.10228/
http://punknomad.com/community/media/7-62x54r-nazi-killing-ww2-gun.316/
http://punknomad.com/community/media/living-without-laws-slab-city-usa.677/
http://punknomad.com/community/threads/slabcity-org-is-a-scam.12856/

 

[Matt Derrick]

I was afraid that if I did try to raise chickens there, I might get so much BS from animal activists that I'd leave, but I don't know I've never been there.

there are no animal activists in slab city. maybe folks that would be upset if you kicked a dog or something, but no different than anywhere else in the usa.

 

[Pheonix]

there are no animal activists in slab city. maybe folks that would be upset if you kicked a dog or something, but no different than anywhere else in the usa.

Actually I was worried about Cockerels, their chemically castrated rosters that plump up faster for food production. But I think the animal activist disapprove of using chemicals for castration. Also some people bitch about keeping the chickens in a coop, but it sound like there's too many stray dogs to be free-ranging chickens there.

 

[dolittle]

I've wanted to go to slab city ever since I first heard of it. But since reading some post on here by folks who live there,(year round I guess) I havnt been so interested in going. To many rules. I thought slab city was a place to be yourself. But then I read these post... It sounded more like Nazi Germany to me. Mabe I will go some day, if I can avoid the back to nature gastopo.

 

[Pheonix]

I've wanted to go to slab city ever since I first heard of it. But since reading some post on here by folks who live there,(year round I guess) I havnt been so interested in going. To many rules. I thought slab city was a place to be yourself. But then I read these post... It sounded more like Nazi Germany to me. Mabe I will go some day, if I can avoid the back to nature gastopo.

Yea, I don't understand why they got so many rules. I also read somewhere on www.eastjesus.org that they want you to pay $10 a night to camp there, I hope the Rangers don't give me a ticket.

 

[Matt Derrick]

I've wanted to go to slab city ever since I first heard of it. But since reading some post on here by folks who live there,(year round I guess) I havnt been so interested in going. To many rules. I thought slab city was a place to be yourself. But then I read these post... It sounded more like Nazi Germany to me. Mabe I will go some day, if I can avoid the back to nature gastopo.

Yea, I don't understand why they got so many rules. I also read somewhere on www.eastjesus.org that they want you to pay $10 a night to camp there, I hope the Rangers don't give me a ticket.

you guys have it totally backwards. first off, having lived at east jesus for 4 months i can tell you that the $10 thing is a suggested donation, and it's mostly for tourists that actually want to camp IN the east jesus property, or in our RV trailers.

what are all these rules you're talking about? where are they? i haven't seen them anywhere. and ive been going to slab city for YEARS. ive done everything from 4-wheeling to flying over the slabs, BLOWING SHIT UP in the wash, to running around drunk out of my mind shooting quail with a shotgun at 4 in the morning while cackling like a madman, and no one has ever said anything to me about it.

no offense guys, but you have your facts WAY wrong. don't believe what you read on the internet about it, there are some people out there that deliberately post disinformation, in a misguided attempt to keep people away from it. talk to people that have actually lived there.

 

[Pheonix]

you guys have it totally backwards. first off, having lived at east jesus for 4 months i can tell you that the $10 thing is a suggested donation, and it's mostly for tourists that actually want to camp IN the east jesus property, or in our RV trailers.

what are all these rules you're talking about? where are they? i haven't seen them anywhere. and ive been going to slab city for YEARS.

no offense guys, but you have your facts WAY wrong. don't believe what you read on the internet about it, there are some people out there that deliberately post disinformation, in a misguided attempt to keep people away from it. talk to people that have actually lived there.

I was going off the survival guide on www.eastjesus.org I guess I didn't realize East Jesus and Slab City are to different things. I would like to know more about how things are in Slab City outside of the East Jesus Community, but it seems most information out there is about the East Jesus Community and not so much the rest of the city.

 

[Matt Derrick]

true that... at some point im going to make a video about slab city, and probably write an article about it for the blog.

i think ive been at slab city the longest out of anyone on this board, so if you want me to answer any questions about it id be more than happy to.

 

[Pheonix]

What are the tanks about? Do people camp near the tanks or is is a drinking hangout or something? I could never find much info about these tanks with no roof.

Is Salvation Mountain a separate community from East Jesus? In google maps it seems like there are rolling hills between Salvation Mountain and the tanks, do people camp up on these hills would it be possible for someone to "claim" a section of land up on one of these hills for farming?

 

[Matt Derrick]

What are the tanks about? Do people camp near the tanks or is is a drinking hangout or something? I could never find much info about these tanks with no roof.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/punknomad/sets/72157628374957929/

the two behind salvation mountain are just art. they used to be part of the water treatment system when it was a military base. now their just painted with these crazy murals. "the tanks" as they are refered to, are between salvation mountain and where most people camp, and it's one of the higher elevation areas, so it's super windy and sandy so most people don't live there.

Is Salvation Mountain a separate community from East Jesus? In google maps it seems like there are rolling hills between Salvation Mountain and the tanks, do people camp up on these hills would it be possible for someone to "claim" a section of land up on one of these hills for farming?

http://goo.gl/maps/Qers

east jesus is on the outer boundary of what's considered the slabs. salvation mountain is not considered part of the slabs, but everyone loves it and leonard, so it pretty much is.

keep in mind that this entire area is only 0.7 miles square. so it's all pretty much "slab city". it takes about 10-15 minutes to talk to any point within the slabs.

 

[Unslap]

Pheonix theres a permanent resident in the slabs named moth who raises chickens inside of what looks like a mini coleseum. Hes a cool guy, look for thick-ass dreadlocks and a skirt.

I spent most of a week in slab city hiking out every day with lots of food and getting massively baked. The desert environment makes for a more psychedelic pot experience, and it would probably be great with psychedelics.

 

[Matt Derrick]

Pheonix theres a permanent resident in the slabs named moth who raises chickens inside of what looks like a mini coleseum. Hes a cool guy, look for thick-ass dreadlocks and a skirt.

I spent most of a week in slab city hiking out every day with lots of food and getting massively baked. The desert environment makes for a more psychedelic pot experience, and it would probably be great with psychedelics.

yeah ive known moth for years. i have pictures of his chickens in this mini-"tank" that acts like a chicken coop. there's tarps inside to keep them cool.

 

[Floater]

LOL, rules? I'm rolling on the floor laughing! Definitely no rules, well maybe agreements like: don't fuck with me and I won't fuck with you. But no real rules. Though, if you visit the many sites people have around town, yes, sometimes they have their own rules. There are many different groups of people to chill with and many different areas to camp. As far as chickens go, the biggest problem you would have is theft, for sure. Someone's stomach starts rumbling and the next thig you know, Pheonix is missing a chicken or two or three...lol.

 

[Pheonix]

Haha robbing a farmer with a gun and guard dogs isn't the smartest thing to do, but I know there's people out there that stupid. Which is the reason why I want to leave CA, if I'm forced to defend myself in this state I'm going to prison. That scares me.

 

[Floater]

Haha robbing a farmer with a gun and guard dogs isn't the smartest thing to do, but I know there's people out there that stupid. Which is the reason why I want to leave CA, if I'm forced to defend myself in this state I'm going to prison. That scares me.

I hear ya, though I was just assaulted not too long ago for simply being on someone unmarked private property while looking for my dog. The asshole sucker punched me while I was trying to leave. The county did absolutely nothing. Though, I wasn't shot at and there was really no way of even knowing if the guy

....was telling the truth or not about it being his property.

Now that I think of it, he was probably just some random dude trying to grow in the woods or something... hadn't thought of that.... All I know is my dog Luke stays on his leash now, lol.