Downtown Indio is adorned with about a dozen fabulous murals since the Chamber of Commerce launched the Historic Mural Project in 1996. “Old Indio” is a beautiful example. Painted by Bijan Masoumpanah in 2014, this detail features workers of the Southern Pacific Railroad when the depot opened at Indian Wells (now Indio) in 1876. The town experienced addition growth when U. S. Route 99 – The Main Street of California – was constructed in the 1920s as part of its 1,600 mile connection between the Mexican and Canadian boarders.