The Salton Sea in Southern California was formed in 1907 when men tried to redirect Colorado River irrigation canals and caused a two-year flood. It spans the intersection of two great deserts: the Mojave to the north and the Sonoran to the south and west. Summer temperatures routinely hover at 120 degrees.
In the 1950s and 1960s, developers tried to turn the sea into a marine resort. Instead it evolved into a rich and fragile ecosystem, as well as an oasis for birds.
Union Pacific’s Yuma Subdivision follows this accidental sea, and the area sees up to 35 trains a day. Read about UP’s booming Sunset Route in the
March 2013 issue of Trains magazine, and check out additional photos right here.