Imperial Valley Desert Museum

Imperial Valley Desert Museum IVDM houses Indigenous and historic artifacts found within the IV and surrounding regions.

The Imperial Valley Desert Museum is a new facility in the heart of the Yuha Desert housing Native American and historic artifacts collected from within the Imperial Valley. Opening a new museum in the twenty-first century, we do not want to be seen as an exhibit within four walls, but we want to engage and interact outside of the limitations of the “box,” our new building, both metaphorically and

physically. We are currently developing world-class, interactive exhibits to engage visitors with the Imperial Valley’s rich desert history. The mission of the Imperial Valley Desert Museum is to preserve, interpret and celebrate the deserts of Southern California through outstanding collections, research, and educational programs. Our goal is to be the foremost research and educational institution devoted to the preservation, interpretation, and celebration of the Imperial Valley desert. In the Press

Museum Opening
Museum Waits to Finally Open: New museum evolves with the changing desert, Imperial Valley Press, April 7, 2011
http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-news-after-years-of-delay-desert-museum-might-open-in-next-six-months-but-it-needs-money-to-do-so-20110407,0,4115667.story

Opinion: Pilot Program Gives History New Life, Imperial Valley Desert Museum, October 14, 2011
http://www.ivpressonline.com/opinion/ivp-our-view-pilot-program-gives-history-new-life-20111014,0,732183.story

Coil Clay Art Program
Children Wind Clay into Pots for Cultural Learning, Imperial Valley Press, July 28 2011
http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-news-children-wind-clay-into-pots-for-cultural-learning-20110728,0,5137782.story

Students Learn Kumeyaay Way, Imperial Valley Press, October 12, 2011
http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/ivp-students-learn-kumeyaay-way-20111012,0,3713822.story

Our most recent temporary exhibit, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Life & Legacy of Leonard Knight," is coming to a c...
05/29/2026

Our most recent temporary exhibit, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Life & Legacy of Leonard Knight," is coming to a close next Wednesday, June 3rd! If you haven't had a chance to see it, stop by and see us soon.

For this month's , we’re looking at 2 beautiful botanical specimens from the Lorraine Pritchett collection, of which th...
05/25/2026

For this month's , we’re looking at 2 beautiful botanical specimens from the Lorraine Pritchett collection, of which there are 47 total! Last week we looked at the olneya tesota (desert ironwood). This week, we're looking at...
palafoxia linearis (spanish needle)
Palafoxia linearis (more typically called palafoxia arida) is a species of flowering plant known by the common names desert palafox and Spanish needle. It is native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is an annual herb producing an erect, branching, glandular stem. There are two varieties, with the larger, Palafoxia arida var. gigantea, reaching up too 78 inches in maximum height. It’s supported by local wildlife, such as hummingbirds & butterflies.

For this month's , we’re looking at 2 beautiful botanical specimens from the Lorraine Pritchett collection, of which th...
05/18/2026

For this month's , we’re looking at 2 beautiful botanical specimens from the Lorraine Pritchett collection, of which there are 47 total!
olneya tesota (desert ironwood)
Olneya tesota is a perennial (meaning it typically lives more than 2 years) flowering tree of the family Fabaceae (legumes, peas, beans family), which is commonly known as ironwood, desert ironwood, or palo fierro in Spanish. The ironwood grows as a bush or tree, reaching heights of about 33 feet and average trunk diameters of about 24 inches. Exceptionally, in larger protected washes it can reach greater heights and a more massive trunk. The species is native to the Southwestern United States, northwestern Mexico in the Baja California Peninsula, and the Sonoran Desert. The ironwood is very hard and heavy. Its density is greater than water and thus sinks; it does not float downstream in washes and must be moved by current motion.
Due to its considerable hardness, processing desert ironwood is difficult. As a result, mass processing of this wood is difficult, and most of its commercial usages are artisanal, such as durable wooden sculptures as well as knife handles.

May's Volunteer Day is tomorrow! Sunday, May 17th, 2026 from 11:00AM-2:00PM. Join us for a hands-on volunteer day suppor...
05/16/2026

May's Volunteer Day is tomorrow! Sunday, May 17th, 2026 from 11:00AM-2:00PM. Join us for a hands-on volunteer day supporting our Curation Department! We are looking for volunteers to help with organizing and caring for historical materials in our collection.
To sign up, email us at: [email protected]

May's Volunteer Day coming up in 4 days! Sunday, May 17th, 2026 from 11:00AM-2:00PM. Join us for a hands-on volunteer da...
05/13/2026

May's Volunteer Day coming up in 4 days! Sunday, May 17th, 2026 from 11:00AM-2:00PM. Join us for a hands-on volunteer day supporting our Curation Department! We are looking for volunteers to help with organizing and caring for historical materials in our collection.
To sign up, email us at: [email protected]

In August of 2023, the Imperial Valley Desert Museum received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services ...
05/08/2026

In August of 2023, the Imperial Valley Desert Museum received a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to hire a curatorial fellow (Ryan Pagett), Indigenous Kumeyaay consultant (Frank Salazar), and Dr. Gregory Haynes of the Desert Research Institute (DRI) to complete an assessment of ceramic artifacts in order to better understand Ancestral Kumeyaay social group activities as interpreted through their pottery assemblages. An article, written by Dr. Haynes and published in "California Archaeology" is a result of that analysis.

This article has been made "Open Access," and is available to the public for free. A link to the article can be found on the museum website, under the "Museum Related Research Publication," tab.

https://www.ivdesertmuseum.org/ivdm-research-publications

"Beloved and Imperiled Christian Folk-Art Relic Salvation Mountain Gets a California Retrospective," written by Caitlin ...
05/08/2026

"Beloved and Imperiled Christian Folk-Art Relic Salvation Mountain Gets a California Retrospective," written by Caitlin Chavez () for Southwest Contemporary ().
Shout-out to writer, educator, and Imperial Valley local Caitlin Chavez for writing an excellent article for Southwest Contemporary on the amazing life of Leonard Knight and the "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" exhibit we had the chance to curate here at IVDM!
Link to the article: https://southwestcontemporary.com/leonard-knight-salvation-mountain/
You can also find a link to the article at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum website!

Sunset Social (Friday, May 22, from 6:00-9:00 PM)Trade your typical night out for something wildly unforgettable!Join t...
05/08/2026

Sunset Social (Friday, May 22, from 6:00-9:00 PM)
Trade your typical night out for something wildly unforgettable!
Join the Imperial Valley Desert Museum for a Sunset Social, a 21+ evening at the Living Coast Discovery Center , where golden hour meets good vibes. Sip cocktails as you wander through the center, get up close to animals during encounters, dance into the evening with a live DJ, strike a pose at the photo booth, and tap into your creative side with hands-on activities like dried native plant crafts, nature sketching with US Fish and Wildlife, vision boards, and more!
Whether you’re here for the animals, the art, or the atmosphere—this is your night to explore, create, and celebrate under the setting sun.
Tickets:
Non-Members: $27
Members: $22
Use the Friends & Family Code: Raccoon5 to recieve $5 off your total ticket prices! Guests must be 21+ years of age to attend. Valid form of ID is required to enter and will be verified at check in.

A special thank you to those who attended our "Chrome & Color Movie Night at IVDM" this past Saturday (May 2nd)! We had ...
05/07/2026

A special thank you to those who attended our "Chrome & Color Movie Night at IVDM" this past Saturday (May 2nd)!
We had a great turn out of classic vehicles from Sunrunners Car Club of IV and the Drifters Car Club so a big shoutout to them! Thank you all for coming, and thank you also for staying to watch the film screenings.
Speaking of films, thank you to Harrod Blank for allowing us the opportunity to screen your art car film "Automorphosis (2009)" and documentary film "Salvation Mountain - Leonard Knight (2025)." They were both quite funny and insightful! To find out more about Harrod Blank's film work, you can visit www.harrodblank.com.
Thank you also to Salvation Mountain historian and board member, Robert "Doc" Sims for joining us for a Q&A session with Mr. Blank. Hearing about your experiences with Leonard Knight was truly memorable.
And finally, thank you to Salvation Mountain Inc. and all those who originally sponsored the creation of our temporary exhibit, "Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Life & Legacy of Leonard Knight." It was through your contributions that we've been able to to showcase the beautiful art and history of Knight, as well as host exciting events like this one. You can still catch this exhibit in the museum's exhibit hall until June 3rd, so stop by if you haven't had a chance to see it!

Film screenings starting at 5:00 PM!
05/02/2026

Film screenings starting at 5:00 PM!

Address

11 Frontage Road
Ocotillo, CA
92259

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

(760) 358-7016

Website

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