JOSHUA TREE HISTORY
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A Brief History of the Community of Joshua Tree
By Iona M. Chelette

Best known as the namesake of the Joshua Tree National Park, the community of Joshua Tree is nestled in the foothills of Southeastern California’s Mojave Desert. Its summers are 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than Palm Springs, Palm Desert and other Coachella Valley Communities, which are about an hour’s drive downhill from Joshua Tree. Likewise, Joshua Tree’s winters are 10 or more degrees cooler than those of these famous resort communities.

Joshua Tree is on State Route 62, which runs from Interstate 10 on the west to U.S. Highway 95 on the east at the Arizona State border.

Centrally located among the three major communities of the Morongo Basin, Joshua Tree serves as the current location of regional law enforcement, medical, education and transportation facilities for other unincorporated communities and the neighboring municipalities, Town of Yucca Valley and City of Twentynine Palms. The community, however, is residential in nature and unlike neighboring communities, its population has grown slowly, from 2,650 residents in 1964 to only about 8,000 in 1999. Tourists will find facilities for their comfort in the downtown area around SR 62 and Park Boulevard, leading to Joshua Tree National Park’s western entrance.

An unincorporated community governed by the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, Joshua Tree has a board-governed special district for fire protection, parks and recreation and street lighting (CSA-20) and the Joshua Basin Water District, which is independently governed by five elected directors. The county’s General Plan includes policies for the Joshua Tree Planning Area which are periodically updated by county staff and supervisors with input from Joshua Tree citizens serving on the municipal advisory councils.

A municipal advisory council has reported to the county board of supervisors for over 20 years. These councilors act in a volunteer capacity and are not paid for their efforts. Recent discussions have focused on: lobbying county government for a night sky protection ordinance to bring the area in line with policies adopted by surrounding cities, Joshua Tree National Park and neighboring Riverside County and formation of an assessment district for road maintenance and improvement. Community consensus was reached for the recreational use of 633 acres of land held on a patent from the federal Bureau of Land Management (Section 6). The council works with county code and law enforcement personnel to clean up crime and blight in the community. An economic development workshop was held to discover the chances of attracting a gas station and supermarket to the community. Town Halls are regularly held by First District Supervisor Kathy Davis, at which numerous county personnel are available for one-on-one consultations with citizens.

Joshua Tree also benefits from the efforts of volunteers in its five nonprofit neighborhood community associations: Joshua Tree, Copper Mountain Mesa, The Highlands, Monument Manor and Panorama Heights.

Timeline

1918     William Keys brings his bride, Frances M. Lawton to the Desert Queen Ranch, now known as the historic Keys Ranch, within the Joshua Tree National Park.

1928-29     Hi-Desert Airport in Sunfair area was in use.

1936     Joshua Tree National Monument was established. It became a Class A wilderness area airshed station in 1977 and a world biosphere reserve in 1984. In 1994 it was named a National Park and an additional 234,000 acres and 163,000 wilderness acres were added to the park’s holdings. Weather records have been kept in the park since 1936. Park administrators are advised by a citizens’ commission appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

1937     According to historian Joan Wilson, real estate developers arrived.

1943     U.S. Post Office established in Joshua Tree. Its first postmistress, Grace Rees, is still living in Joshua Tree. She described to this writer a spirit of cooperation among the women running all of the Morongo Basin post offices while the men were abroad fighting World War II.

1944     Joshua Tree Woman’s Club was formed, then federated in 1948.

1945     The Joshua Tree Branch of the San Bernardino County Library was established.

1945     The Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce was formed. The Chamber now holds popular downtown street fairs in the spring and fall.

1946     The Sportsman’s Club was formed. For many years, their grounds served as the precursor of the Hi-Desert Playhouse and the Joshua Tree Community Center, housing theatrical productions such as an annual Christmas pageant and Vaudeville "Follies" and park and recreation activities. The club still hosts the annual Gem and Mineral Jamboree (the 25th will be held in 2000). The club and the Sportettes’ bingo games fund numerous community activities that would not be able to operate without their help.

1946-1975         Joshua Tree Turtle Races were held on the first weekend in May. After passage of the Endangered Species Act prohibited the use of the native desert tortoise, the races were continued with box turtles. Eventually, public and official outrage at "inappropriate use of a resource" led to the demise of this festival, which those who remember it consider best forgotten.

1948     Joshua Tree Fire Protection District was established. Its first fire chief was Robert Garry, the son-in-law of William F. Keys and husband of his daughter, Pat. Initially, an all-volunteer force operated out of the Garry’s Shell service station on the northwestern corner of Park Boulevard and SR 60, with firefighters summoned to service by a claxon on the roof of the garage. Arthur L. Chelette succeeded Garry as fire chief. After Chelette’s death in 1979, the county contracted with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection for coverage until 1999. County government canceled the contract with CDF for coverage of Joshua Tree and other areas when it consolidated county fire protection in 1999. Today, the Joshua Tree Fire Department has two facilities administered by County Fire: Station 36 on Park Boulevard and Station 35 in Panorama Heights, still mostly staffed with volunteers.

1963     The Joshua Basin County Water District was established and five years later the community voted to join the Mojave Water Agency to reserve State Water Project water for its future use. Service connections in 1999 numbered about 4,000.

1970s     Joshua Tree experienced a spate of growth when the Joshua Tree Community Center was built on Sunburst Avenue and the Hi-Desert Playhouse was built on SR 62. The old community building on Easterly Drive next to Fire Station 36 on Park Boulevard is now used as the CSA-20 Preschool. Community Day is celebrated during early June at the Joshua Tree Community Center.

1975     The Senior Nutrition Site was established by Lida Secrest in the Joshua Tree Community Center.

1984     The Joshua Tree Campus of College of the Desert, now the independent Copper Mountain College, a California Community College, was built in the Panorama Heights area.

1985     Al and Rita Mackin established the Joshua Tree Kids Club.

Map

Joshua Tree’s southern borders were always bounded by first Joshua Tree National Monument, now Joshua Tree National Park. Its eastern boundary is coterminous with the City of Twentynine Palms and its western boundary coterminous with the Town of Yucca Valley. No "sphere of influence" designation by either municipality extrude into any of Joshua Tree’s several service district boundaries, which are identical save for the northern extension of the Joshua Basin Water District in the Copper Mountain Mesa area.

Map and area boundaries provided by Joshua Basin Water District and San Bernardino County,1999. Selected information taken from historian Art Kidwell’s "In the Shadow of the Palms," Vol. I.

Copyright I.M. Chelette 2000