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 Joshua
Tree is nestled in the Southeastern California
Mojave Desert,
thirty-five miles from Palm Springs (exit off I-10 freeway on
State Route 62) and is at a
latitude of 34.134N and a longitude
of -116.312W. Joshua Tree is the gateway community to the West
Entrance of
Joshua Tree National Park,
a nearly 800,000 acre wilderness preserve chock full of Joshua
Trees and other fascinating varieties of plants; incredible
wildlife; unique, picturesque, gigantic boulders that are stacked in
very odd formations; and is noted as one of best rock
climbing spots in the world! Over 1.3 million visitors come to this
area annually to explore the park and its surrounding communities.
The town
received its first notoriety in 1973 when musician
Gram Parsons died in a local motel
-
The Joshua Tree Inn; and friends
purportedly took his body from an LA morgue to bury in Joshua Tree
National Park. Joshua Tree, again received global recognition
with the release in March of '97, the musical album "The Joshua
Tree" by the Dublin, Ireland rock band
"U2".
Joshua Tree encompasses ninety-six square miles; and is laden with
spectacular desert and geological scenery along with the actual
Joshua tree itself. In the early days, Mormon pioneers traveling
through the Morongo Basin saw this oddly shaped tree and named it,
"Joshua," after one of their biblical figures. The tree’s uplifted
and wavy limbs reminded them of their prophet praying and waving his
arms to the heavens.
John Fremont, an early western
explorer, once called the Joshua tree, "The most repulsive tree in
the vegetable kingdom." Since this tree is so unlike any other, it
does create atypical responses. The Joshua tree has no “growth
rings” like normal trees; so determining the trees age can be
difficult. Nevertheless, most biologists estimate the average age of
these trees to be between 500 to 900 years old. This
spectacular tree grows only two places in the world and only
around a 3000’ elevation. Due to the tree's distinctive
character and unreal appearance, it’s not uncommon to see Joshua
trees in national commercials, movies, and television spots.
History
The
earliest recorded history of Joshua Tree was documented when
homesteaders first filed a landsite application in the fall of 1911.
Within a few years, Joshua Tree Townsite Company constructed their
first offices on Twentynine Palms Highway (SR62), close to Park
Boulevard. Congress passed the “Baby Homestead Act” in 1938;
allowing five-acre, non-agricultural homestead sites for the desert
area. Townsite Company developers hoped this act would
actively bring in new settlers to the town. Instead, World War
II erupted, triggering gas rationing, building supply
restrictions, and preventing any sustainable growth for outlying
desert regions. In 1941, Joshua Tree’s population totaled only
forty-nine people with twenty-two occupied buildings.
 Nearing
the end of the war, cabins, homes and commercial buildings finally
started sprouting up throughout the desert. In 1944 the local
newspaper, The Joshua Journal, reported the town's population had
increased to 227 local residents. A short time later, the
first business block was built (with five stores connected under one
roof) on the northwest corner of the Park Blvd. Grace
Aldridge, the local postmaster, was servicing 300 postal clients out
of the Little Joshua Tree Market (which eventually burnt down.)
Next, the Joshua Tree post office and a shoe store were erected in
one building on Hwy 62. By 1947, there were 144 established
buildings, forty-six new buildings under construction, and the
population had expanded to 550 people. During this particular
period, many early settlers built turkey ranches in the Sunfair Road
area (over 47,600 turkeys were documented); and had established
plans to name the vicinity "Turkey Town, USA.” But for unknown
reasons, these farms disappeared. Occasionally, wild turkeys
are still spotted by local residents. As the area continued to
grow, new businesses, churches, schools, a fire station, local shops
and a community center were established in Joshua Tree. During
one boon, there where five gas stations in the downtown area of
Joshua Tree.
Camping
Joshua Tree National Park boasts nine campgrounds in varied
locations within the park. You can reserve sites
online. If you find
Joshua Tree National Park Camp sites
full, two locations are available
outside the park:
Joshua Tree Lake RV & Campground
is a Rustic Family Camping and Fishing Lake. They offer hot showers,
laundry, an RV dump station, an Ole’ country store, firewood, a
super cool lake to fish in, fishing pole rentals, a kid’s
playground, horseshoes, and off-road access.
The Joshua Tree Climber's Ranch
is a unique experimental joint venture between the American Alpine
Club and local climbers. The Climber's Ranch really does not offer
much more than a place to pitch a tent and hang out with friend.
However, often that is all that is needed.
Joshua Tree Today
Today, Joshua Tree is unincorporated
with an estimated population between 12,000-14,000 and under the
jurisdiction of the
San Bernardino County Board of
Supervisors. Local temperatures run ten degrees cooler in summer
than the lower desert areas and twenty degrees warmer in the winter
than surrounding mountain areas; creating comfortable,
year-round living at an average altitude of 2,700-3000 feet.
Most annual rainfall occurs in July, August, September, and January,
with four to six inches average total precipitation. The
climate is considered pleasantly moderate and discernibly
four-seasoned. Vivid dawn skies and spectacular evening
sunsets are a photographer’s delight. Most days are typically bright
and sunny; and the star-studded, twilight skies are nothing less
than magnificent!
Shops and Services
Multiple
small shopping centers encompass Joshua Tree: fine art galleries;
gift shops; beauty salons; rock climbing & camping supplies; small
grocery marts with gas pumps; health food stores; gourmet foods;
cafes and restaurants; taverns, dentists, a hobby shop; real estate
offices; a laundromat, hotels and motels, plus much more. The
US Post Office, Copper Mountain College,
The Hi-Desert Playhouse Cultural Center,
MBTA (public bus service), San Bernardino
County Court House, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, the
California Highway Patrol, and the Roy Williams Airport also serve
locals and guests.
Managed by Joshua Basin Water District,
residents drink water drawn from 20,000 year old aquifers.
Other essential services are
Southern California Edison
- electricity; Verizon - landline telephones;
numerous cell phone services are available and useable;
Waste Management for garbage collection
service; propane refill companies; and in limited areas (with
buried lines), Southern California Gas. Satellite and cable
are available for television viewing. A wide variety of access
portals (including dial-up, DSL, microwave, and satellite) are
offered for Internet users. Hi-Desert Publishing prints and
publishes two local newspapers (Hi-Desert
Star and
Desert Trail); Local Radio stations
include:
KCDZ Z107.7 FM “Community" music &
news; and Copper Mountain Broadcasting with both KXCM FM “Hot
Country” and KQCM “Top 40” -
featuring live DJ, local
weather, traffic, & community information
in addition to their music formats.
The town utilizes the San
Bernardino County Fire Department
for major emergency services and the MBA (Morongo Basin Ambulance)
for medical emergency services. The Hi-Desert Memorial Health
Care District is comprised of 179 total licensed beds. The
Hi-Desert Medical Center
is a modern, 59-bed acute care hospital providing 51 medical,
surgical, and telemetry beds; a four-bed intensive care unit; a
comprehensive birthing center; a 14-bed emergency department; as
well as radiology, laboratory, and cardio-pulmonary departments. The
district also operates the Continuing Care Center, a 120-bed skilled
nursing facility on the campus of Hi-Desert Medical Center.
Home Health & Hospice and a variety of community outreach services
are also available. Airway Outpatient Center is a full-service
outpatient surgery and diagnostic center; and The Behavioral Health
Centre provides partial hospitalization services. The last two
services are located five miles away in in Yucca Valley.
The American Red Cross covers disaster services, first aid, and
training.
Schools
Two
elementary schools are located in Joshua Tree: Friendly Hills
Elementary and Joshua Tree Elementary. Within the basin-wide
area, there are 2 high schools, two middle schools, continuation
schools, and private schools - with available school busing &
MBTA services. For complete public
school information, please contact the
Morongo Basin Unified School District.
Copper Mountain Community College
offers two year transferable associate
degrees, A+ and Cisco Certifications, a full RN nursing
program, Personal Enrichment Programs, Employment
Certifications, and Vocational Training. There is also a large
library and a cafe (Coyote Cafe) on campus. This fall, the
college will break ground for a complete solar field, multi-use
sports facility, and a nature habitat study center.
Community Activities
The Joshua Tree Park and Recreation Community Center, located on
Sunburst Avenue in Joshua Tree includes playgrounds, tennis courts,
handball courts, and picnic facilities. The center supports the
“Joshua Tree Kids Club” with educational assistance and a
recreational curriculum in a safe and supervised environment.
Contact the center for this before/after school & summer
program for your children. They also offer a senior center; a
cool center, plus a variety of ongoing community classes and
activities for all age groups.
There are multiple community associations, clubs, and
organizations covering a wide range of activities for all interest
groups in and around Joshua Tree. Check local newspapers for
further information.
Joshua Tree Public Library (located on Park Blvd) carries a large
supply of books and periodicals, as well as providing
computers and Internet access to the public. Various reading
programs are offered throughout the year. Call for hours at (760)
366-8615.
Churches within Joshua
Tree include: First Baptist Church of Joshua Tree, First Southern
Baptist Church of Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree Foursquare Church, Saint
Christopher of the Desert Church, New Testament Baptist Church., and
JT Community United Methodist Church.
All other denominations are available within a maximum fifteen
minute drive from this location.
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