With all the time we’ve had to spend in our homes for some eight months now, our abodes can seem small to us, even with thousands of square feet under a roof. In Desert Hot Springs’ homesteading days, cabins encompassed something like 120 square feet. Cabot Yerxa described the early 1900 dwellings in his 1962 presentation to the Desert Hot …
Land Marking
Our recent newsletter about Los Angeles-based developer L.W. Coffee mentioned his finding his way to Bill Anderson’s homestead by following a map that Cabot Yerxa gave him showing the landmark of Two Bunch Palms. In a 1962 speech to the Desert Hot Springs Improvement Association, Cabot talked about how that spot had guided him and others to their homesteads. When …
Money in Trust
As noted in recent newsletters, two gentlemen from Southern California cities trusted enough in the future of Desert Hot Springs to invest time and money in developing its raw land as early as the 1930s. One was developer L.W. Coffee, who came from Los Angeles and opened a bathhouse/resort. The other was Aubrey Wardman, a successful businessman in Whittier whom …
United States of Mind
We’ve reviewed the development of Desert Hot Springs in recent newsletters. This week, we zero in on a key component that advanced the viability of a livable town that became a city: Desert Hot Springs Improvement Association. Cabot Yerxa was among the area’s most ardent promoters, so it logically follows that he became one of the organization’s founders. According to …
Coffee and Hot Water
Last week’s newsletter excerpted a 1958 newspaper article that Cabot Yerxa wrote about Desert Hot Springs’ early development. He continued by quoting an article from developer L.W. Coffee published in 1947. Though we were unable to uncover the original piece, we found other sources that reinforce what Cabot presents. And so, here is another side of the story (also excerpted/edited) …