What better place to learn a city’s history than at a Historical Society? Visit this 1949 fire station on El Paseo and hear how Palm Desert was originally called Sand Hole. The first few homes were built during the 1930s at Palm Village. The area served as a training camp for troops under General Patton during WWII. Then the Henderson brothers – Clifford, Randall, Phil and Carl – began converting 1,600 acres of desert into their vision of a resort community. Although children might be bored with these stories, they will love the 1973 fire engine parked in front of the Historical Society of Palm Desert.
