Off-beat Salton Sea stories

While rummaging through thousands of issues of newspapers available online - from 1905 to the present - I came across a number unusual stories while researching the history of the Salton Sea.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Alligator appears: In July 1910, the San Bernardino County Sun reported a small alligator "swimming about in the arm of the lake where Southern Pacific crossed it. Some daring spirits tried to secure the reptile but failed, and now all are wondering how an alligator got into the inland sea."

Graves exposed: In October 1912, the Santa Ana Register reported that seven graves exposed by the receding waters of Salton Sea were discovered by Chester and Samuel Van Horn, desert prospectors.

"The skeleton in one of the rough pine boxes was completely exposed. The spot is believed to be part of the site of Volcano Springs on the old line of the Southern Pacific, before encroaching waters of the sea compelled the removal of town and railroad."

Seaside as paint source: In November 1920, the Mariposa Gazette touted the quality of volcanic "paintpots" (bubbling mud volcanoes) as rivaling "the best European sienna and umber.

"Utilization of the new-found color supply may soon render the continuation of European imports of such pigment as unnecessary," the story said.

A-bomb tests: In January 1949, the Atomic Energy Commission obtained title to 18,024 acres of the bottom of the Salton Sea. The lease, voted by the board of directors of the Imperial Irrigation District at a price of $100, gave the commission about 75 sections of land under and adjoining the Salton Sea for its testing grounds.

Spacecraft study: In August 1961, a full-scale engineering model of the Project Mercury manned spacecraft descends from 30,000 feet during a landing system drop test over the Salton Sea. It was launched from a USAF-130 transport aircraft at altitude, with the one-ton test capsule landing by parachute at a rate of 30 feet per second. After water contact, the chute automatically released and the test capsule remained afloat until recovered.

Cruise the sea: In January 1966, the Imperial County Board of Supervisors were considering a proposal for a 2,000-passenger excursion boat that would cruise the Salton Sea. The proposal called for the construction of a flat-bottom vessel 200 feet long and 80 feet wide at a cost of $200,000.

Coot shoot: In January 1970, flocks of coot, also known as mudhens, were eating the grain from nearby fields so fast that it threatened to leave the wintering geese "without a meal in sight." So the state Department of Fish and Game set up a special, two-weekend depredation coot shoot.

The final count showed that hunters killed 3,534 coot and "ended the threat to the grain." Hunters donated 1,416 of the coots to the state department for distribution to charitable institutions and needy families.

Islands in the Sea: In 2000, Metcalf & Eddy, a Wakefield, Mass-based engineering firm, proposed constructing several islands in the Salton Sea for resort-style development with golf courses, high-end homes and tourist attractions.