• 1televisionwillnotberevolutionized_panorama
  • 1thetelevisionwillnotberevolutionized_comment3
  • 'Tree of Soles' aka 'Shoe Tree.' In Slab City people are free to do artwork as they see fit.Beal Road
  • 1tree_of_soles
  • 99% of Slabbers are either unemployed, retired or disabled. Welcome to Slab City. Here there's no water, electricity or sewage treatment. What you bring in is all you've got. Welcome to Slab City.
  • 1slabcityguardhouse_comment2a
  • Welcome to Slab City. It's 'off the grid': there's no running water - it all has to be trucked in; solar panels are used to collect energy from the sun; there is no sewage treatment - think outhouses; and summer temperatures can reach as high as 128° F.
  • 1_labcityschoolbus_comment2a
  • The name 'Slab City' comes from the concrete slabs that remain from the abandoned World War II Marine Corp barricks of Camp Dunlap.
  • 1slab_comment
  • Bunker 1Off of Beal Road Former defensive military fortifcation below ground used to house munitions. Now occupied by Slabbers.
  • 1bunker1
  • Camp Dunlap was a 631 acre U.S. Marine base activated in 1942 as a training facility during World War II.
  • 1campdunlap
  • Decomissioned cannonTank Road
  • 1decomissionedcannon
  • Slab City is -144' mean sea level
  • Chocolate Mountains US Navy Aeriel Gunnery range, next to Slab City. An important military training site during WW II used by Gen. George S. Patton.
  • 1chocolatemountains
  • Slab City takes it's name from the concrete slabs that remain from the abandomed World War II Marine barricks of Camp Dunlap. And many Slabbers are ex-US armed forces Vets.
  • 1vets
  • The RangeSlab City night clubBeal Road
  • 1therange
  • Natural Hot SpringsBeal Road
  • 1hotsprings
  • Creosote, also known a Chapparal, is the most common plant in Slab City. It secures more water by inhibiting the growth of nearby plants.
  • 1creosote
  • 'Pyxie's' CampLow Rd."The air, the ground, the trees, are all sucking the water out of you."
  • Direction sign postDoris Lane
  • 1directionspost
  • Clothes line at RV camp. No electric dryer necessary.
  • 1campclothespin
  • Slab City outhouse, with variety of statehood license plate ornamentations
  • 1outhouse
  • This camp is not a Motel 6Low Road
  • 11-rebelcircuscamp
  • Roadside ArtBeal Road
  • Cactus, a denizen of Slab City
  • Oasis Club. $25 seasonal membership, coffee included. Others $1 per cup. WiFi additional.
  • 1oasisclubsign
  • Pet Cemetary 2County Road
  • 1petcemetaryentrance_01a
  • 1petcemetary2
  • Cinema SlabacidioWeekly screenings Tuesday evenings at dusk
  • 1slabacidio
  • 'Quality neighborhood' road marker- Lucky Chance, artist
  • 1qualityneighborhood
  • thesunworks.comSolar MikeBeal Road"I don't want to be any part of this. Slab City has been exploited by outsiders enough"
  • Grafitti (detail)The TanksThe crash of 2007
  • 1grafittithetanks
  • 1tankhotsprings_6067_copyright__2017bobzahn
  • 1tanksathotprings_1
  • 1tanksathotsprings_2
  • 1grafittithetankshotsprings_01
  • Scorpion, a denizen of Slab City
  • Baby rattlesnake, a denizen of Slab City
  • Baby rattlesnake, a denizen of Slab City
  • Food BankMonthly distribution to locals, including SlabbersNiland Chamber of CommerceUS Highway 111
  • 1foodbank
  • STAY OUT!Many Slabbers are determined to protect their privacy.
  • 1stayout_1
  • 1nothingreallymattress_01a
  • 'DANGER - REALITY AHEAD'Leaving Slab City: 'Babylon' lies ahead once you cross the railroad tracks.
  • 1realityahead
  • Lonesome TreeEast Jesus
  • 1lonesometree
  • 'Just Passin' Through'Mr. Natural,' Robert Crumb, artist
  • 1mrnatural_comment

PART 3 - LANDSCAPES - AMERICAN GOTHIC REVISITED: SLAB CITY - THE LAST FREE PLACE IN AMERICA