Glass Beach of California is situated near Fort Bragg. The beach used to be the place where local inhabitants brought all forms of their trash. From their old cars to their kitchen leftovers to a dump located on the beach starting in 1949.
In the 1960s the officials started to regulate what was dumped on the beach. First setting a full stop to toxins and later on for everything when the North Coast Water Quality Board moved the official dump to a different location in 1967. Fort Bragg people referred to it as “The Dumps.” Fires were lit to reduce the size of the trash pile.
After 50 years of time, the remnants are still very clear on the beach. It is very much of the glass that was left on the beachfront during its dirty decades that has not gone far. And thrashing waves have softened and polished the broken pieces. Several cleanup programs were undertaken through the years to rectify the damage.
But over the next several decades the pounding waves cleaned the beach. By breaking down everything however glass and pottery and tumbling those into the small, smooth, colored pieces that Cover Glass Beach. The man-made phenomena instigate people to use tiny objects in jewelry, and the major threat of stealing sea glass.
Currently, Glass Beach is well covered with stone size pieces of sea glass coloring the seascape and adding a tourist element to the natural beauty of the spot. Glass Beach is part of the MacKerricher State Park and adds another side to its history.
Glass Beach of California is the only area of the California Park System to have been at one point in time a part of the Mendocino Indian Reservation. Therefore due to its historic significance, the beach is maintained by the parks department. Which does its best to preserve the natural, and not-so-natural, beauty of Glass Beach. Glass beach has become popular among tourists and is now frequently visited by tourists.
But collecting is not allowed on the park’s beach. Though sea glass can be found on other local beaches outside the park boundary. A Glass Festival is held annually on Memorial Day weekend. Therefore, huge numbers of tourists visit Fort Bragg’s glass beaches every day in the summer.
Most of them collect some glass and because wave action is constantly grinding down the glass, the glass is slowly diminishing. There is currently a move to replenish the beaches with discarded glass. It is a great place to visit especially on summer days. A similar type of Glass Beach is located at Ussuri bay in Russia.