The Historical Society of Palm Desert houses varied and different exhibits.

Coachella Valley Water: Exhibit sponsored by the local water District on how it supplies our valley with the most precious of commodities – water.

Hopalong Cassidy: See pictures of Hoppy (William Boyd) and his wife Grace. Also located in the museum is a life size cutout of Hoppy with his horse Topper and some of the original signs once posted along Hopalong Cassidy Trail in Palm Desert.

Howdy Doody: Velma Dawson the “mother” of Howdy Doody lived in Palm Desert until her death in September, 2007. See examples of some of her early puppets, as well as a small reproduction of the little “guy” himself.

Fire Equipment Exhibit: The main equipment room is filled with a large assortment of Firefighting “Tools of the Trade” dating back to the early times of volunteer fire fighting. The display is on loan from Robert Greene. See our vintage fire truck also on display.

Founders Room: Pictures of the founding father of Palm Desert, Cliff Henderson as well as his wife Marian Marsh Henderson (who founded Desert Beautiful) are on display. Both helped stamp their imprint on our progressive and beautiful city. View a 12-minute video highlighting the dream that was to become Palm Desert, which includes footage from the 1940’s.

Bradshaw/Cahuilla Indian Trail: Follow the early days of the Indians through the 1860’s when William Bradshaw built a trail to the gold fields in Arizona. Bradshaw “paved” the way to our modern day Hwy 111 which travels through the heart of Palm Desert.

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Sandpiper Exhibit: The Coachella Valley inspired a design notable for its use of glass, clean lines, and the use of indoor/outdoor spaces. See the Modernism floor plans (which have withstood the test of time) and pictures from the late 1950’s and early 1960’s of William Krisel (Architect & Landscape Artist).

Chamber Room: See a large collection of Chamber Pots on loan from Mrs. Robert Greene. During inclement weather or on cold winter days, being able to use a Chamber Pot ended the need to trek outside to the outhouse. In their day, chamber pots were considered a modern convenience. In wealthier homes, they were usually ornately decorated, (often with gold leaf) and they have evolved into works of art.

Aerial Views of the Coachella Valley: Large wall size photos of the Coachella Valley and Palm Desert, taken from the 1940’s to the 1980‘s.

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