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History: A Colorful Heritage

A rich cultural heritage awaits in Indio, woven from a colorful tapestry of Native American Cahuillas, Spanish influence, the Wild West, early agriculture, famous personalities, sporting events, and the spirit of a balanced community.

The ancient footsteps of the Cahuilla culture still echo today in the tribe’s cultural center and annual gathering.

Although Indio’s history is as old as the desert’s shifting sands, two elements have played an important part in the city’s beginning and development: the Southern Pacific Railroad established the “Indian Wells” distribution point, and Algerian date shoots were imported. Both events occurred in the late 1800s.

The largest city in the Coachella Valley, Indio was originally known as Indian Wells, but the name was changed in 1879. Indio was a construction camp during the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and afterward it was the site of railway yards, repair shops, and a roundhouse. In 1894 a businessman, A.G. Tingman, laid out a township and began selling lots. The town became an agricultural center when homesteaders settled and cultivated the land. By 1920, the city had become the Date Capital of the United States and the center of valley commerce.

The original commercial area of Indio (commonly referred to as “Old Town”) was the retail and commercial center for the entire valley. During the Second World War, General George S. Patton headquartered in the Hotel Indio, which was destroyed by fire in the spring of 2005. With the close proximity of the troops, business boomed. After the war, more and more people came to the Coachella Valley and settled in Indio. By the 1950s and 1960s, Indio was considered the “Hub of the Valley.”

Several major events further assured Indio’s progress. Already an industry to celebrate, dates took center stage with the building of the first permanent Date Festival building. Built in 1946 and opened in 1947 as the Commercial Arts Building, it was torn down in 1989 and replaced with the Fullenwider Building in 1990.

In 1947, approval was granted for an underground canal system to deliver water to ranches, ensuing agricultural growth. By 1948, the All-American Canal began delivering Colorado River water to the valley.

Road transportation was improved as well. In 1951, Highway 99 was improved to four lanes in the populous areas, and the I-10 freeway was extended from the Palm Springs junction to points east in the valley. Lake Cahuilla (a terminal reservoir for the Coachella branch of the All-American Canal) was completed in 1970 and promptly developed into a recreation area.

Residents of note include Dr. June McCarroll, who invented the first white line in the middle of the road in Indio, and Jackie Cochran, America’s leading female pilot, who was the first to break the sound barrier in 1953. The 50-year tradition of world-class Polo players includes England’s Prince Charles and numerous Hollywood stars.

Indio...then and now

2000 BC - Cascadian from Northeast Asia discovered the mountain valley.

1080 AD - The Cahuilla Indians’ ancestors arrived with the Shoshone Indians.

1540 - paniards explored the Coachella Valley.

1815 - Indians mined salt from the Salton Sink (now the Salton Sea).

1821 - Cocomaricopa Indians began carrying messages and mail from the Pass area across the Coachella Valley to Spanish forts in Tucson, Arizona, and Sonora, Mexico.

1876 - The Southern Pacific Railroad established “Indian Wells” (now Indio) as a distribution point.

1879 - The first train began its scheduled run from Los Angeles.

1885 - The federal government restricted the Cahuilla Indians to reservations 30 miles long but opened non-Indian land in the Valley to homesteading under the Desert Entry Act.

1886 - C.P. Huntington, president of Southern Pacific railroad, brought back date shoots from an Algerian vacation and gave them to Pat Gale, the first agriculturist in Indio.

1893 - The State Legislature created Riverside County, removing 590 square miles from San Bernardino and 6,410 square miles from San Diego, placing the entire Coachella Valley in a new jurisdiction.

1894 - Albert G. Tingman bought 160 acres and laid out the original Indio townsite and opened a general store, a stable, and a corral.

1896 - The first grammar school opened in a tent near the Indio railroad depot.

1910 - The predecessor of today’s National Date Festival was held in nearby Coachella.

1912 - The Date Palm, a weekly newspaper and forerunner of the Indio Daily News, began publication.

1918 - The California Date Association built the first packing plant at Highway 111 and Broadway. The same year, the Coachella Valley Water District was formed.

1919 - The Indio Lighting District illuminated the first street lights.

1920 - The city had become the Date Capital of the United States and the center of Valley commerce.

1921 - The first National Date Festival was held in Indio, an event that now occurs annually in February.

1930 - Indio became the first city incorporated in the Valley on May 30.

1943-45 - General George Patton took up residence and trained his troops in the area.

1949 - Regional water was delivered via the Coachella Branch of the All-American Canal.

1950-today - Though its agricultural/industrial economy is still strong, Indio has become a retail and services center and major distribution point for the Valley. Civic and business leaders work hand-in-hand to preserve historical tradition and plan for a future to benefit the growing population of approximately 75,000 full-time residents.

Indio is a well-balanced, year-round community that is as firmly committed to its future as it is proud of its heritage.