LEONARD KNIGHT
Niland, South Shore
Undeterred, Leonard prayed to God and developed a
new method of construction through the use of adobe,
a mixture of mud and hay, which proved to be a much lighter and flexible building material.
However, Leonard's faith would be tested again, when the county threatened to bulldoze the mountain due to claims that the paint was polluting the ground water. Independent tests were conducted and it was soon proven that it was in fact not a "toxic nightmare." Outcry from the local community soon convinced the county to leave Leonard alone.
After 19 years of trial and error, Leonard is still building his creation, which has attracted worldwide attention. He has been featured in numerous newspapers, magazines, and television programs. His original hot air balloon is now on display in the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, MD. The mountain now attracts tens of thousands of tourists a year to the Salton Sea area.
For more information on Leonard and his mountain:
Salvation Mountain homepage
Salvation Mountain: The Art of Leonard Knight
