Bombay Beach ghost haunt
Bombay Beach rests along and inside!, the Salton Sea. A suspected, former inland lake existed in the area and was named Lake Cahuilla. The lake may have existed sporadically into the 17th century. Suspected lake or Salton Sea, everything changed in 1905. heavy rainfall caused the Colorado River to inundate a dike which was built to provide irrigation for the Imperial Valley’s farms and the formerly dry Salton Sink took the brunt for almost two years. When the berms were finally fixed, a 15 by 35 mile artificial lake remained. In the 1920s, the Salton Sea developed into a tourist attraction, because of its water recreation, and waterfowl attracted to the area. The Salton Sea has had some success as a resort area, with Salton City, Salton Sea Beach, and Desert Shores on the western shore and Desert Beach, North Shore, and Bombay Beach built on the eastern shore in the 1950s.
The fate of the Salton Sea was doomed from the beginning. The Salton Sea has no ability to off flow water from it’s basin. Salinity of the basin itself, run off pollution from local farms, and Mexico, and algae blooms have destroyed the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea inlet is now considered the most polluted river in America.
Almost over night the make shift tourist spots like Bombay Beach, disappeared into history. Partially submerged, abandoned, salt caked mud entombed, lies much of the beach front of Bombay Beach. The false white looking sandy beaches, are really piles of salt stripped bones from fish and birds (very little sea life remains). Like a scene out of a post apocalyptic horror movie, so remains Bombay Beach. Bombay Beach is currently home to about 366 residents.
Is Bombay beach haunted? Local residents spin yarn that there is an island that people refused to leave when services were no longer available to get them to and from the shore. The island in the Salton Sea was used for drinking, swindling, and being away from any rules. Local legend says from the shore late at night that you can sometimes hear a phantom ghost band playing from the island.
A second tale that has roots as far back as the 1800’s is of a spectral ship lying half buried in the desert sands. This story encompasses much of the Salton Sea area. This story is referred to as “The Lost Ship of the Desert.” Around that time, many migrants after the Civil War traveled through the desert on their way to California. Many reported that they saw a multiple-mast Spanish galleon. Multiple expeditions left looking for the ship, but none found it.
Whether haunted or not Bombay Beach is not the sort of place you want to be at night. Based on the type of graffiti left all over the abandoned structures, It is probably a good idea to bring large caliber protection with you.
