What is the history of Desert Hot Springs, California?
The first homesteader in the area was Cabot Yerxa in the 1890s. His large adobe is now one of the oldest adobe structures in Riverside County, and houses Cabot’s Old Indian Pueblo Museum, a state historical site after his death in 1947. The town was founded by L. W. Coffee on July 12 1941. The original town site was centered on the intersection of Palm Drive and Pierson Blvd and was only a square mile in area. Coffee chose the name Desert Hot Springs because of the area’s natural hot springs caused by seismologyseismic activity. Desert Hot Springs became a tourist destination in the 1950s because of its small spa hotels or boutique hotels. The city’s seclusion appealed to urban “escapees.” Realtors arrived to speculate land appraisalreal estate appraisal of thousands of vacant lots, but the streets are laid out over a six square mile area. Over time, some homes are bought by sun-seeking retirees and the area incorporated into a city in 1963, with only 1,000 residents. Desert Hot Spring
