Niland CA

Created by Leonard Knight

"God is Love"  

Feb 2012

Photos taken by Alex Yu

Salvation Mountain is located in Niland/Slab City, California. This unusual piece of artwork was created by Leonard Knight (1932-)with adobe clay and donated paint. Leonard is a Korean War veteran. After he became a Christian at the age of 35, he wanted to convey the message "God Is Love" to as many people as possible. In 1984 Leonard worked in Quartzite, Arizona as an auto technician. In one weekend he traveled to Niland/Slab City, and came up with the idea of using a hot air balloon to spread the gospel. But no matter how hard he tried, the balloon failed to ascend. Later Leonard switched to Plan B: build a small monument in Niland/Slab City. As the "monument" was getting bigger and bigger, the county government decided to tear it down. Fortunately, many local residents made a petition and as a result Salvation Mountain was preserved.