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

[Pheonix]

Hate to say it but farmers are quick to shot a dog that's wondering where it's not suppose to be.... both the legal ones and the illegal ones.

 

[ped]

That's a big concern of places like that for me. Some tweaker stealing my shit. I stand up for myself and either go to prison or they have alot more friends around than me. I bet that starts to touch on why EJ has the rules they do. Despite all the romanticism and faux idealism human nature is human nature.

 

[dolittle]

I don't know, mabe "rules" is the wrong word. I was looking up info on slab city via the post on this site... Some time last summer or last fall. Came across a thread... Or post, by some guy who gave the "impression" that he was Mr. Big Dick at one of the commune type areas there. He posted this long list of do's & don'ts.
I don't remember his name or the rules. The whole thing sort of made me lose interest in the slabs. It just sounded to stuck up & unfriendly to me. I was real disappointed, actually.
After reading that, it made me think of the summer I spent at Short Mountain. Not pleasant.
Mabe that guy only represents one group. I don't know.
I was/am looking for a safe, chill place where I can hang out, pursue my interest, be myself with out being judged. & just exist with out "Big Brother" telling me how to live my life. After reading all that guy wrote, slab city seemed like just the opposit.
Mabe I got the wrong idea. But after that summer at Short Mt. I really just didn't see the point of trying the slabs.

 

[Pheonix]

I was wondering about a big enough of an operation that I could donate eggs and meat to EJ and other camps. Food is the most precious commodity other than water so once the farm become established if it came down to mob rule then they will probably take my side since I'll be providing a valuable service to the community. That and a farm the size I would want would involve help, a whole camp build around the farm so that's a whole camp ready to defend these chickens like a bunch of anarchists. I'd be more worried about finding the right people for the farm camp.

 

[tobepxt]

I'm trying to make it out there later this year.

 

[renotwin]

I'm heading down from Central Oregon this Sept. to the Slabs. Been there before, but more as a tourist then living. I headed to El Centro , then Yuma after leaving the Salton Sea area. This year no snow and -15 winter for me. I am going to do the old people thing and drive a motorhome down, granted it was $2,500 and not $250,000, but it beats a tent any day. I hope to run into a few of you there.

 

[Floater]

I was wondering about a big enough of an operation that I could donate eggs and meat to EJ and other camps. Food is the most precious commodity other than water so once the farm become established if it came down to mob rule then they will probably take my side since I'll be providing a valuable service to the community. That and a farm the size I would want would involve help, a whole camp build around the farm so that's a whole camp ready to defend these chickens like a bunch of anarchists. I'd be more worried about finding the right people for the farm camp.

I love your ideas for a farm in the slabs.... if I make it there before you I might have to get it started...I've always wanted to practice some desert permiculture

 

[Pheonix]

I was wondering about "the tanks" cause when I first seen them I though that would make a great chicken coop just by making a ghillie style roof over the top to keep them in the shade, but I don't know how the community already out there won't feel about letting someone stake claim to a tank?

 

[Matt Derrick]

I was wondering about "the tanks" cause when I first seen them I though that would make a great chicken coop just by making a ghillie style roof over the top to keep them in the shade, but I don't know how the community already out there won't feel about letting someone stake claim to a tank?

the only tanks left are the two painted tanks that i linked you pictures to. they're about 14 feet high, so it's hard to get in them. if you built a ladder to go over so you could get in and out you'd be set. no one's ever taken the time to do that, so you could totally claim one if you wanted, and as long as you didn't fuck up the murals on the outside, i doubt anyone would bother you about it, they'd just think you were crazy for wanting to live somewhere in the desert without a roof. the insides have virtually no graffitti at all, and have concrete floors too.

 

[Auto]

A few people there have chickens, Moth does, and Frank the guy that runs the internet cafe have them. As for the tanks, yeah you will need to make a ladder that will get over them, I lived in one for a couple weeks and climbing it with a rope carrying gear gets old quick, I broke a 16lb sledge hammer trying to crack the cement on the bottom to build a tunnel out, as I wanted to live in one too, also heard another guy broke a sledge trying to get in the side of it, they were built like bunkers thick cement and a lot of rebar. Also it is extremely windy inside, more so then even outside, you can't even whisper w/o it making loud echos.

I was thinking of bringing a saw that can cut cement and rebar next time I come out there, and like someone already said just don't damage the artwork on it. Some people that were only there for a week decided they would paint over the guard post on the way into the slabs, and a lot of people got really mad. They probably just wanted to take pictures to show their friends that they had left there imprint on slab city.

And yes there are a lot of meth heads that will creep around your camp at 3 in the morning and try to steal stuff. Which is why most there have dogs.

As for farming, it is the desert, you would need to bring in decent soild, all that is there is sand and clay, you would also need a ton of water, the only way I could imagine it working is if you had a truck with a large water tank on it and a pump to pump water from the canal. There is a guy or two that have built wells out in one of the washes, I dug about 10 feet down in the sand and the soil was wet in one of the washes, supposedly during a recent earthquake a crack in the cement in the canal was made and some water leaks out into the wash behind edge road. The canal water is drinkable, supposedly ice melt, I drank it most of the time I was there unfiltered.

 

[renotwin]

I can't wait to get there in late Sept , early Oct.

 

[Kamil]

What are necesary supplies needed when going to slab city? what tips and survival techniques would u sugggest to a small group (circa 4 ppl) going out to slab city for a bit? not sure how long the stay would be (obviously planning would vary on the length of it), but we dont have a car. Are there pre-established squat(punk) groups roughen it out there to link up with? is it possible to just bring sum tents and camp? or are there abandoned buildings its possible to sleep inside? what are these tanks exactly, and would it be possible to bring a tarp, sum mattresses and sleeping bags and blankets to make a little gypsy camp around them?

 

[Matt Derrick]

just have a way to feed yourself and bring water. food stamps are great if you have them since there's a store in niland you can get supplies from.

im not going to get into all the details, but just bring your gear and pick a place to camp. come out and meet some people and decide if you like it. there's cool people all around.

a warning though: scum fucks aren't tolerated. if you drink incessantly, spange for everything you have, have tattoos all over your face, and generally act like an asshole, we'll roll you up in a carpet and put you on the first train out of town. this isn't a place where those people will survive very long.

aside from that, you'll learn the rest when you get out here. trust me, it's worth the blind jump.

 

[Auto]

What are necesary supplies needed when going to slab city? what tips and survival techniques would u sugggest to a small group (circa 4 ppl) going out to slab city for a bit? not sure how long the stay would be (obviously planning would vary on the length of it), but we dont have a car. Are there pre-established squat(punk) groups roughen it out there to link up with? is it possible to just bring sum tents and camp? or are there abandoned buildings its possible to sleep inside? what are these tanks exactly, and would it be possible to bring a tarp, sum mattresses and sleeping bags and blankets to make a little gypsy camp around them?

yeah, bring a tent if you want one, it rarely rains though and you can sleep outside with no roof probably more comfortable then in a tent (and you can see your surroundings at night). Be able to feed yourself and provide your own alcohol or tobacco or whatever, there is a 1 dollar bus ride that will get you to either brawley or el centro where you can fly a sign, people won't want you around them in the slabs if all you do is mooche off them.

I honestly wouldn't recommend messing with random people for no reason though, I've seen quite a few people that were there for only a couple days that got drunk and messed with random people they didn't know for no reason at all that got their stuff either burnt to a crisp the next day, or had large groups of people from the slabs come out to beat their asses. One guy kicked someones dog at a party one night and got the shit beat out of him by like 15 people and all his tires slashed like 2 minutes after kicking the dog. Despite that people are mostly good, and if you don't mess with them, they most likely won't mess with you.

 

[Matt Derrick]

There are scorpions and occasional snakes out there, so a tent is a good idea.