Thousand and One Things to See and Do in this Fascinating World-Famous Desert Wonderland…

Promotional map of Indio and the Coachella Valley issued by the local Chamber of Commerce.

The Coachella Valley has not always been the location of mega concerts and week-long festivals that we associate with it today. In the 1950’s, it and the cities therein, primarily Indio, Palm Springs and Thermal, were winter vacation destinations and the primary residences of many individuals with medical issues, who hoped to improve in the hot, dry climate. The resident population would halve once the winter season was over, with huge numbers of temporary locals returning east.

The map reinforces this trend, advertising the Coachella Valley as a “Desert Wonderland,” where “you can spend an hour, a day, a work or months exploring the miraculous desert playground.” Showing the area on either side of Route 99 (since replace by I-5) from Banning to Brawley, the image labels roads, towns, airports, and natural attractions. Twenty five locations of interest are numbered on the map and illustrated within the border, a mere fraction of the 1,001 things to see and do as promised in the title! A previous owner apparently searched for some of these missing attractions in their “off the beaten path” manuscript route through Joshua Tree.