La Quinta Historical Society

08/27/2026

Join us tomorrow for a deep-dive seminar focusing on the historic signage documentation, advocacy, and conservation.

Technical presentations will introduce the materials and components of historic neon signs, common deterioration conditions, and the differences among repair, rehabilitation, restoration, reconstruction, and replication.

California case studies—including major neon installations and neighborhood signs—will illustrate how owners, consultants, craftspeople, advocates, and reviewing agencies can balance historic integrity, safety, code requirements, business needs, and long-term maintenance.

Participants will leave with practical tools for recognizing significant signs, starting preservation conversations before a crisis occurs, responding when owners are reluctant to retain an inherited sign, and developing effective documentation, advocacy, planning, and restoration strategies.

Thursday, August 27th | 11 AM - 2 PM Pacific
$60 Non-Members | $0 - $54 Members & Partners

See speaker lineup and register at: https://californiapreservation.org/events/saving-signs/

08/09/2026

📸 Snapshot in time: 1970's

The Gambel Quail is the official city bird of La Quinta, California.
The plump desert ground birds are commonly seen running in family groups called coveys across local parks, desert washes, and residential neighborhoods.

The designer of the Gambel Quail city logo was Fred Rice, a former Art Director, Animator, TV Producer/Writer, Humanitarian. In 1970, Fred retired to La Quinta, where he continued to invent and design.

He became very active in the community. His various titles include President of the Chamber of Commerce, one of the original Founders of the Historical Society of La Quinta, and Father of the City Seal. He also designed the seal for St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in La Quinta.

He was a true Renaissance man in the fields of entertainment and community service.

Visit our website for this and more episodes of Snapshot in Time!
https://laquintahistoricalsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/snapshot-in-time/August-2026-Snapshot-in-Time-Fred-Rice-The-Gambel-Quail.pdf

07/14/2026

📸 Snapshot in Time: 1950's

Alice Marble, was an 18-time Grand Slam tennis champion, and had a deep connection to La Quinta, California.

In the 1950s, William duPont Jr. bought the Point Happy Date Gardens and hired Marble to oversee the construction of DuPont’s red-brick house perched on a saddle in the Santa Rosa Mountains. Dupont built a separate Spanish-style home with a pool and a tennis court for Marble in 1965.

The Point Happy Date Gardens ranch structures (previously owned by Chauncey and Marie Clark) was eventually subdivided to create the Estates at Point Happy. DuPont’s original home on the mountain saddle remains to this day.

Alice Marble remained in the Coachella Valley, teaching tennis and participating in local exhibitions before she died in 1990.

(Pictured: Alice Marble and Efren Zimbalist, Jr. on the Tennis court)

07/05/2026

06/11/2026

Snapshot in time: Hacienda del Gato 📸

This is a historically significant ranch house built in the 1920s in the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture style. The ranch house is located on the grounds of the Tradition Golf Club today. The property was formerly owned by John Marshall (Marshall Cove/Ranch) and was built by one of the first pioneering female architects, Helen Douglas French.

The property was later sold to William Rosecrans (grandson of a former Civil War hero). Thereafter, Rosecrans renamed the property Hacienda Del Gato after the family cat reportedly saved Elizabeth Rosecrans from a lethal rattlesnake strike.

In a tribute to the courageous family cat, a sign was established to pay tribute to the cat. The cat lived for another 20 years after the incident and visitors often inquired about the story and burial site when stopping by the hacienda.

05/31/2026

As Preservation Month comes to a close, we'd like to introduce the dedicated volunteers who help make historic preservation possible in the City of La Quinta. The board members of the La Quinta Historical Society generously share their time, talents, and passion to preserve our community's unique history and ensure its stories are remembered for generations to come.

Their commitment helps protect La Quinta's heritage, celebrate its past, and strengthen our connection to the place we call home. Thank you to these remarkable volunteers for all that you do for our community.

Pictured from left to right:
James Blanton - Vice President
Linda Williams - President
Michael Chanco - Historic Preservation
David Cribari - Treasurer
Mary Lawson - Membership
Caryl Cummings - Secretary
Sabina Greco - Archivist
Elisa Guerrero - Social Media
David Mackesey - Historian
Not pictured: Nancy Salvatierra - Board Member

05/17/2026

Preservation Month: May 1982, the City of La Quinta was established! Here's an undated photo from the archive of a city council meeting in the early years of our city.

Follow along for more La Quinta history, and become a member of the Historical Society, all on our website! Link in bio 🔗

(This post has been updated to correct a previous error regarding the date of this photo)

05/08/2026

Snapshot in Time 📸: May 1942

General George S. Patton, Jr. came to the Coachella Valley to create the largest military training facility in the world. The Desert Training Center included eleven camps spread throughout the desert and covered an 18,000 square mile section of Southern California, Western Arizona and Southern Nevada. Over a two-year period more than 1,000,000 troops
were trained there.

Gen. Patton was put in charge of Thermal Army Air Field as a fighter base, Desert Center Army Air Field as a close-support bomber base, Rice Army AirField near Parker Arizona as a
transport base, and Shaver's Summit Field as the air base for Camp Young Headquarters.
Military equipment was sent to Indio via rail and then convoyed out to the troops in the desert. Gen. Patton requisitioned many of the valley's most significant locations for military use. World War II rationing made travel to the desert difficult. The La Quinta Hotel shuttered from 1942 to
1945.
The Army appropriated properties and it's believed that members of General George Patton's staff used some of the hotels in the area which included the La Quinta Hotel and the Desert Club facilities.

To read more about this and other Snapshots in Time, visit our website! Link in bio 🔗

05/02/2026

In honor of preservation month and the founding of the City Of La Quinta, here is a photo of the first Mayor and First Lady, Fred and Kay Wolff, at the incorporation on May 1, 1982.

04/19/2026

Join us for two exciting (free) events coming up in the next few weeks!

All of our upcoming events can be found on our website, and you can also explore membership options, explore the archive, and more!