Salton Sea Stories

Experience the heyday of the Salton Sea through the 1962 photographs of George Mann and the story of Helen Burns, “Queen of the Salton Sea.”

The exhibit encapsulates the optimism of the Salton Sea of the 1960s. Through the recently rediscovered photos of vaudeville star-turned-photographer, George Mann, we experience the Sea as a thriving recreational area, with shores filled with camp grounds, a yacht club, sunbathers, and real estate offices selling a dream.

Visitors will be taken back to the wonder years of “Helen’s Place,” a now disappeared Salton Sea Beach landmark. Through Donna Burns Kennedy’s story of pioneer living with her mother Helen, we meet a visionary woman who, with a creative mind and iron will, made Helen’s Beach House a popular recreation destination, while battling the whims of the Salton Sea.