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Palm Springs has a carefree reputation as a glamorous desert resort, but it has a dark history of injustice, corruption, and loss.
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians have inhabited the palm oasis near Mount San Jacinto for centuries.
The tribe has long relied on the hot springs, mesquite groves, and palm trees for survival.
By the late 1800s, American settlers encroached upon the Agua Caliente’s lands.
Looking for California’s “Desert Paradise,” newcomers established homesteads on the tribe’s territory.
The tribe did its best to stop the settling on their land, but by 1884, the natives were forcibly removed.
After the removal, many Agua Caliente were left struggling—trying to survive starvation and disease in Indian reservations.
It was a dark and disturbing period in Palm Springs’s history.
Palm Springs has a troubled history of racial discrimination.
Non-white residents and visitors have faced prejudice and exclusion.
Many restaurants, hotels, and other businesses denied service to people of color.
Gas stations forced Black travelers to prepay for fuel before pumping.
Real estate agents would not sell homes to minorities in high-end neighborhoods.
The Village Green neighborhood, for example, was the only place where Asians could own property.
Schools were also segregated.
Children of different races were not fully integrated into Palm Springs schools till 1961.
It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s that these segregation policies went away.
Palm Springs’ modern and rapid growth came at a cost to the local environment.
Homes, businesses, and farms sprang up in the 20th century, leading to intense demand for water in the desert.
Aqueducts were built to siphon water from natural oases and streams.
Tahquitz Creek and the springs of Andreas Canyon—were almost completely depleted.
The drainage of the water left the creek beds dusty and dry.
Tahquitz Canyon lost over 75% of its streamflow.
Native wildlife populations declined sharply in the last century due to water scarcity.
The endangered southwestern willow flycatcher could no longer nest in the habitats it relied on.
Though now a refuge for the LGBTQ community, Palm Springs was not always like this.
The 1950s was a dark period in Palm Springs’ history—especially for the LGBTQ community.
There were McCarthyist pressures to crack down on “moral corruption” these days.
The pressure was so bad that the city council officially banned homosexual activity in 1959.
Law enforcement carried out a crusade aimed at purging gay residents and tourists.
Bars and clubs known to cater to LGBTQ patrons were raided by police—patrons publicly arrested and shamed—their names printed in the local press.
Suspected LGBTQ citizens risked being outed.
The criminalization of gay life enabled broader discrimination.
Queer residents were denied housing, employment, and basic dignity.
The ban was lifted in 1964, but the stigma and prejudice continued.
In the post-war period, Palm Springs gained a reputation as a haven for organized crime.
The city’s lax regulations created an environment of graft and illegal activities.
Many city officials nurtured ties with mafia figures from LA.
Illicit activities proliferated.
Backroom gambling dens and prostitution operated freely, shielded by bribes to the police.
Drug trafficking was common, from marijuana smuggling to meth labs.
Civic leaders were compromised.
Because of its arid climate, Palm Springs gained fame as a destination for tuberculosis patients seeking a cure.
Dry heat was thought to alleviate respiratory issues.
As one of the driest places in the nation, Palm Springs attracted many people with advanced TB as their final hope.
Doctors sent their most desperate cases to the town when everything else they tried failed.
Soon, the town was full of tuberculosis “refugees,”––gaunt figures walking around in blankets under the hot, dry sun.
Makeshift health sanitariums sprouted up all over the town—offering rest, fresh air, and primary care.
Some of the patients got better, but most lived their last days in Palm Springs.
Tuberculosis claimed many lives in the town.
The sick people gave Palm Springs a melancholy atmosphere.
In Palm Springs’ rush to redefine itself in the post-war period—much of the city’s historic architectural was destroyed.
The building boom of the 1950s and 60s was a period of aggressive “redevelopment.”
Old structures were demolished with impunity.
Desert Spanish Revival and Mid-Century Modern styles that made the town famous were destroyed.
Historic hotels, speakeasies, and other landmarks dating back to Palm Springs’ founding also didn’t last the demolition.
The redevelopment erased much of the character and heritage of the town.
One-of-a-kind adobes, bungalows, and heritage sites were gone to history.
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