Desert Hot Springs

Historical Society

 

 

Opening Page

 

Beginnings

 

"Spa City"

 

Videos

 

Biographies

 

Historical Places

 

DHS Historical Society

 

Coming Events

 

 

 

 

We welcome you to the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society website!

 

Here you'll find a growing collection of pictures and stories that document the founding

and development of Desert Hot Springs.

ENJOY!

 

As the Historical Society of Desert Hot Springs we are always on the lookout for memorabilia, pictures, postcards, letters, artifacts, and general history and "stuff" (a very technical term <grin>) about our town.  If you have anything about DHS or our surrounding area that could help us preserve our history, please, please contact us.  Also, you don't have to permanently part with your item or collection, just allow us to copy them for our society... we'll happily return any items to you.

 

Current Research Projects that we are working on:

 

1948 Desert Hot Springs Earthquake

Is there a written report, or a collection of material, about this 12/4/1948 earthquake?

 

Are there:

Living Residents

Original Photos

Original Documents: damage repair, medical records

Letters

Artifacts

 

The "Little Grand Canyon"

The Indio Hills badlands between the south end of Sky Ridge Road (off Dillon Rd) and City of 1000 Palms.

 

Desert Gardens Ranch / Desert Garden Nudist Resort / Nudist Colony / Nude Bowl

Back in the 1960s to mid 1970s Desert Gardens Ranch (aka Desert Garden Nudist Resort, Nudist Colony or Nude Bowl) was in operation.  It was located at the very west end of Pierson Blvd. across Highway 62 in the foothills.  At some time the resort closed its doors and in the late 1970's and from the 1980s and into the 1990's skateboarders frequented the closed / abandoned facilities.  They dug out the old pool (several times!) and proceeded to ride their skateboards in the pool in what they called the "nude bowl."  Currently the Palm Springs skateboard park has a replica of this famous nude bowl.  Like the other research projects, we'd like to have any stories, pictures, articles, etc. of this location.

 

Please contact us if you have any information about these topics of history.

 

(note: you'll have to manually enter the email address)