What are the opening hours?

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

Imperial Valley Desert Museum

Name: Imperial Valley Desert Museum
Address: 11 Frontage Road, Ocotillo, CA, 92259, US
Telephone: (760) 358-7016
Price range: $

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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

08/12/2026

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS! Deadline is THIS Friday August 14th, 2026 at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
The Imperial Valley Desert Museum (IVDM) is seeking 1 indigenous artist in Imperial County, San Diego County, or Northern Baja who would like to showcase a small but cohesive body of artworks or products that celebrate evolving traditions of Native peoples in the Southern California & Northern Baja area, with a focus on those living in the "borderland" regions of the U.S. - Mexican border.
The awarded applicant will be given the opportunity to showcase their in work our Evolving Traditions display case in the museum's Main Gallery throughout the Fall of 2026 (September - December 2026). Similar works of art and/or products may also be offered for sale in the IVDM Gift Shop.
More information & form applications can be found on the museum’s website under the "Curation & Exhibits" tab.

08/10/2026

This month's we're taking a deep dive into the lantern slide collection's of Richard Pata. This collection is a wealth of imagery! We have several hundred lantern slide photographs of desert landscapes, iconic places of the south west, petroglyphs, and more! We're excited to share a few of the neater images we found while digging through these photos.
Taken in July of 1973, this is a picture of the historic Jail Tree located in Wickenburg, Arizona.
A jail tree is any tree used to incarcerate a person, usually by chaining the prisoner up to the tree. Jail trees were used on the American frontier in the territory of Arizona, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; jail trees were also used in Australia. Few jail trees survive to this day.
According to a sign next to the tree, the lawless town of Wickenburg didn't have a jail until 1890. Criminals were simply chained to the tree until a sheriff from Phoenix could ride down and collect them.
Whether this is fact or fiction isn’t entirely ceartian, but the value of the tree has been enhanced by a life-size fiberglass sculpture of a prisoner, created by artist Seward Johnson in 2009. Johnson is made famous by his creation of “Embracing Peace,” a 25-ft. tall recreation of the “V-J Dayin Times Square,” photograph taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt.

08/03/2026

This month's we're taking a deep dive into the lantern slide collection's of Richard Pata. This collection is a wealth of imagery! We have several hundred lantern slide photographs of desert landscapes, iconic places of the south west, petroglyphs, and more! We're excited to share a few of the neater images we found while digging through these photos.
Taken in July of 1983, here we have pictures of Parker Dam a concrete, arch-gravity dam that crosses the Colorado River 155 miles downstream from Hoover Dam. It was built between 1934 and 1938 by the Bureau of Reclamation.
The dam straddles the Arizona-California state border where the river passes between the Whipple Mountains in San Bernardino County, CA and the Buckskin Mountains in La Paz County, AZ.
It is 320 feet high, 235 feet of which is below the riverbed, making it the deepest dam in the world. The portion of the dam above the foundation stands 85 feet tall, making it the only dam in the world that stands more underground than above.

08/02/2026

OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS! Deadline is Friday August 14th, 2026 at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time (PST).
The Imperial Valley Desert Museum (IVDM) is seeking 1 indigenous artist in Imperial County, San Diego County, or Northern Baja who would like to showcase a small but cohesive body of artworks or products that celebrate evolving traditions of Native peoples in the Southern California & Northern Baja area, with a focus on those living in the "borderland" regions of the U.S. - Mexican border.
The awarded applicant will be given the opportunity to showcase their in work our Evolving Traditions display case in the museum's Main Gallery throughout the Fall of 2026 (September - December 2026). Similar works of art and/or products may also be offered for sale in the IVDM Gift Shop.
More information & form applications can be found on the museum’s website under the "Curation & Exhibits" tab.

08/01/2026

The Imperial Valley Desert Museum, will be temporarily closed beginning Sunday August 2, 2026 as we complete facility maintenance, deep cleaning, and preparations for our fall season. Normal operations will resume Thursday August 20, 2026.

07/27/2026

July's are dedicated to some exciting artifacts & historic documents currently not on display here at the Imperial Valley Desert Museum!
This week we're looking at some lovely sand paintings by Navajo artist Lehi Benally. These artworks were donated to the museum by the Ezell family in June of 1991.
Navajo artist Lehi Benally lives in Gallup on the the Navajo Reservation near Sheep Springs, New Mexico.
The figures depicted are Whirlwind Boy (left) and Rainbow Boy (right). Some of the most important symbols in Navajo culture are found in Sand Paintings, also known as dry paintings, or iikaah ("ee-EE-kah") in the Navajo language. Sand paintings are a part of sacred religious ceremonies for the Navajo people. However, some modern Navajo artisians now choose to permanentize these images by turning them into weavings or prints that can be sold for a profit. The sand original is still destroyed.

07/26/2026

IVDM’s 2026 Water Day was a wet & wild success! Thank you to all the parents & kiddos who came out.
Thank you to the Ocotillo Fire Department for helping keep everyone keep cool as we enjoyed the water slide! And a special thank you to the Imperial Irrigation District for sponsoring this event and allowing us a chance to hang out with Dippy Duck!

07/24/2026

A reminder that our Water Day event is TOMORROW! Saturday, July 25th from 11:00AM to 3:00PM💧

We’ll have food, drinks, snacks, music, a water slide + water balloons, activities and more! The event is completely FREE for all families to enjoy. Thank you to Imperial Irrigation District for making this event possible. Hope to see you there!

07/21/2026

A reminder that our Water Day event is still on for this Saturday, July 25th from 11:00AM to 3:00PM💧

We’ll have food, drinks, snacks, music, a water slide + water balloons, activities and more! The event is completely FREE for all families to enjoy. Thank you to Imperial Irrigation District for making this event possible. Hope to see you there!

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

http://www.ivdesertmuseum.org/

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