PALM CANYON, CALIFORNIA 



By A. E. Demaray 



LYING fifty-five miles south and east of Riverside, 

 California, is the village of Palm Springs, a bit of 

 Arabia transplanted to the western hemisphere. Here a 

 unique winter colony has been established with buildings 

 partaking of near-eastern architecture and with date 

 palms abounding in great profusion. Two or three cam- 

 els bringing mail and passengers from the Southern Pa- 



I'hotograph by the National i'ark Service 



AN OASIS IN THE DESERT 



The palm tree are tall and graceful, and the native life lends 

 picturesqueness to what might be a bit of Arabia transplanted to 

 the western hemisphere. 



cific Railroad, five miles distant, are all that are needed 

 to complete the picture. 



With this artificial setting to enhance the region there 

 is probably no more interesting motor trip to be taken 

 than the ride from Riverside to Palm Springs. First, 

 there is the change from the humid atmosphere of the 

 territory reached by the winds from the sea to the 



warmer, drier air of the desert region, a transition not 

 gradual but abrupt, as the State highway is traveled 

 through the pass north of the San Jacinto Mountains. 

 Next, there is the wonderful panorama of the desert with 

 numerous man-made oases of irrigated lands and always 

 with the towering mountain range above, then the village 

 nestled on the edge of the desert at the base of Mt. San 

 Jacinto. 



But a few miles to the south is the supreme climax 

 in this land of climaxes. Here in several canyons arc 

 i^rowing scores of the beautiful Washington palms, tin- 

 only native palms in California. There are many other 

 varieties of plants, including several interesting cacti. 



Photograph by the National Park Service 



NATIVE WASHINGTON PALMS 



A bit of the little village of Palm Springs, nestled on the edge 

 of the desert at the base of Mt. San Jacinto. 



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