Glass Beach California is a beautiful rocky stretch of waterfront in Northern California that is covered with tiny pieces of smooth glass. But how did this beach happen? Here’s a brief history of Glass Beach California.
The Cleanup After The Great 1906 California Earthquake
After The Great 1906 California Earthquake, people didn’t know where to put all the garbage and debris. Their solution was to dump it into the ocean at Fort Bragg. Sadly, from 1906 to 1967 several beaches in California near Fort Bragg were used as dumpsites. Tons of garbage, glass, china, spark plugs, and cars were left to rust and crumble at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The garbage pile along the beach was only occasionally reduced with purposely lit fires.
Glass Beach California: Transforming A Garbage Dump Into A State Landmark
Then in the late 1960s, people wised up and started cleaning up the beach. Once the large pieces of garbage were taken away, nature was allowed to transform all of the broken glass and that part of California’s embarrassing history into a striking landmark.
Where Is Glass Beach In California?
Glass Beach is located about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento, California along the shoreline of Fort Bragg. The rocky stretch of the waterfront is now protected and features a beautiful collection of colorful, broken pieces of glass mixed with sand and rocks.
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