When you see the marquee for Old Town La Quinta, you figure this is where the town originated. It actually began a few blocks away when John Marshall became of the earliest settlers. In 1902, he homesteaded land he called Marshall’s Cove. Today, the property is the Tradition Golf Club. Some people believe Marshall was the first to call the area La Quinta meaning the “country house” or “hacienda.” Others speculate the name is the Spanish word for “fifth” because this was the fifth resting spot for travelers between Mexico and the San Gabriel Mission in San Bernardino, California.
