The 600+ acre squatters area more commonly referred to as Slab City is actually Niland, CA.. The town of Niland in the past was a thriving farm community, resupply point for Salton Sea visitors and home to a robust thermal energy industry approximately 30+ years ago, it is no more...
"In 1942 the construction of Camp Dunlap began to prepare the United States Marine Corps for combat duty. By 1949 military operations at Camp Dunlap had been greatly reduced, but a crew continued until the base was dismantled. By 1956 all buildings were dismantled, but the slabs remained.
As of October 6, 1961, a quitclaim deed conveying the land to the State of California was issued by the Department of Defense as it was determined the land was no longer required. The deed did not contain any restrictions, recapture clauses or restoration provisions. All of the former Camp Dunlap buildings had been removed. The remaining slabs were not proposed for removal. Later, legislation required that revenue generated from this property go to the California State Teachers Retirement System.
At some point, a chemical company in Oakland hired 20 men to harvest creosote leaves near Niland. Some workers moved closer to work by living in small trailers at the abandoned Camp Dunlap. This was the start of what is now called Slab City.
By 1965 migration to Slab City had begun. Riverside County ordered people to leave a camping area at Painted Canyon near Mecca. These people had all sorts of living arrangements; besides trailers, there were cardboard and plywood shacks, and a variety of vehicles and school buses. Some migrated to what is now Bombay Beach and the abandoned Marine Training Base Camp Dunlap now known as Slab City."
Per Wikipedia
