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By Sandra Hale Schulman
Palm Springs, California (NFIC)
The original Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians smartly made their home in one of the most stunning geographical locales in the West. Nestled in the hills and canyons of the Coachella Valley, about 2 hours from Los Angeles, the tribe had an abundance of mineral spring water pools, wildlife, and accommodating shelters among the palm tree studded canyons.
It wasn’t until a United States government survey in 1853 that the spring took on new meaning – as a place for tourism and profit, based on the healing properties of the waters and the area’s dry desert air. Realizing the waters could be a great attraction to outsiders, in the late 1880s, the first of three bathhouses was built, drawing visitors to soothe and soak their ailments in the mineral pools.
Palm Springs, California (NFIC)
The original Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians smartly made their home in one of the most stunning geographical locales in the West. Nestled in the hills and canyons of the Coachella Valley, about 2 hours from Los Angeles, the tribe had an abundance of mineral spring water pools, wildlife, and accommodating shelters among the palm tree studded canyons.
It wasn’t until a United States government survey in 1853 that the spring took on new meaning – as a place for tourism and profit, based on the healing properties of the waters and the area’s dry desert air. Realizing the waters could be a great attraction to outsiders, in the late 1880s, the first of three bathhouses was built, drawing visitors to soothe and soak their ailments in the mineral pools.
