Forgotten Destinations: Salvation Mountain

Article and photography by Natasha Petrosova

"Love Jesus and keep it simple"
Leonard Knight ( November 1, 1931- February 10, 1914)

Salvation mountain is an installation made of adobe, straw and thousands of gallons of paint. It was created by late Leonard Knight, an outsider artist, who wanted to spread one simple message - "God is Love and God Loves Everyone". Salvation Mountain located in Colorado Desert near Niland, CA. It stands by toxic water of Salton Sea and points the entrance to a "Trailer Park Utopia" - Slab City.
"In 1966, Knight quit his job and set out to wander across the country in a 1951 Chevrolet truck as a self-proclaimed "hobo bird." Knight was sustained by deep religious convictions when his truck broke down in Nebraska, he stopped traveling and yielded to a vision of creating the world's largest hot air balloon, with the words "God Is Love" painted on the side. He spent ten years building the two hundred foot tall balloon, then packed it into a trailer and left for California, possessed with the idea of displaying a religious message that could be seen for miles." Leonard arrived to California abandoned military base Camp Dunlap that was transformed into a Slab City with over 5000 residents who lived there rent free in tents or recreational vehicles . Slab City residents welcomed Leonard like one of their own and allowed him to continue working on his giant balloon. When the day came for the first fly, Leonard noticed that balloon was too big and heavy to inflate. The nylon material also started to rot under hot desert sun. After his failure to fly a balloon Leonard's hope to display the giant words was thwarted until he noticed a massive hump of soft stone and dried clays outside the entrance to Slab City. The hill, which he will later name "Salvation Mountain" . Leonard started this project in 1985 and continued working on it for nearly 30 years. In 2002, Senator Barbara Boxer entered Salvation Mountain to a congressional record as a national treasure and in 2007, film director/actor Sean Penn featured Leonard Knight in his movie "Into the Wild" where Leonard Knight plays himself. Thousands of people, artists, reporters, photographers from all over the world visit Salvation Mountain each year. Leonard Knight passed away two years ago at the age of 82. Unfortunately he is no longer able to be there and greet the visitors. With Leonard being gone , Salvation Mountain starting to show signs of aging: The color fades and infrastructure is getting destroyed by blistering sun, storms and floods. Leonard's supporters and friends are trying to get help to restore it by collecting donations and asking for volunteers.

References:

Leonard Knight. http://www.avam.org/our-visionaries/leonard-knight.shtml