Among the first in the world
I recently learned something new and fascinating about one of my favorite places to go here in Los Angeles. It turns out that the South Coast Botanic Garden was developed right on top of a sanitary landfill.
Many, many years ago, the area was completely submerged in the Pacific Ocean. In those days, the area was absolutely overrun by innumerable single cell algae known as diatoms. The dead diatoms would sink to the bottom of the ocean where they would settle and for a sediment called diatomaceous earth.
Fast forward to the early 1900s, a time when diatomaceous earth was known to have a ton of uses. A corporation called the Decalite Company began mining the sediment, but it was mostly just scraping the stuff off of the top.
It wasn't until around 1929 that they began doing open pit mining. Between 1944 and 1956 heavy mining continued until the whole thing kind of cooled off. During this time, the many acres of land were owned by the Great Lakes Carbon Company who decided to sell the site to the county of Los Angeles.
Apparently Los Angeles had planned to "utilize the best possible technology to reclaim the land for best possible use", but decided to make it a landfill in the meantime. I don't know about you, but that sounds dumb as hell to me; but I digress.
Private Citizens to the Rescue
In 1961 a group of people, led by Frances Young, got together and lobbied the County Board of Supervisors to turn the landfill into a massive botanic garden. A few months later work began!
Over 40,000 plants and trees were donated and planted around area.
Since then the garden has added over 200,000 new plants, trees and shrubs. There is a vast array of plant life from all around the world spread throughout the 87 acres.
As you are walking around you would never guess that you were standing on top of what was essentially a giant trash heap. Although it is an amazing feat, it does make you wonder what kind of crap is under your feet. I wonder what they did with it. Did they just blend it all up? Was more dirt piled on top?
I don't know. Perhaps I am better off not knowing! Whatever the case, I am grateful that they did it!