Twentynine Palms, California, is an oasis of murals
This desert town is renowned for its downtown murals
When I first arrived in Twentynine Palms, California, it reminded me of driving into Chemainus on Vancouver Island. It’s not the landscape that is similar, but the large murals that catch your eye. In order to attract tourists, the city in 1994 commissioned artists to paint 20 murals on the town’s buildings. Many of the murals depict natives, early pioneers, gold mining, founding fathers of Twentynine Palms, as well as high desert scenes. It took up to three years to complete most of the murals and they range in size from eight feet by by 30 feet to 14 feet by 80 feet. Some painters worked on both the Chemainus and Twentynine Palms murals. The murals dominate this city of 25,000, but there are many other attractions.
1. Oasis of Mara
Twentynine Palms started out as the Mara Oasis in the Mojave Desert. This oasis or spring kept the Chemehuevi and Serrano peoples alive, not to mention early travelers. There were originally 29 palm trees around the Oasis of Mara, which is now the Oasis Visitor Center and Museum operated by the California Park Service.
The museum is well worth a visit. Despite gold and silver mining in the area mountains, it wasn’t until 1927 that Helen and Frank Bagley built a 160-acre homestead and co-founded Twentynine Palms. They soon started a general store, post office, gas station and telephone switchboard, which became the center of the community and is now the Historic Plaza.
2. The Keys Ranch
William and Francis Keys came to this area in 1910 and built the Desert Queen Ranch in what is now Joshua Tree National Park. William was a pioneer homesteader, cattleman, gold prospector, assayer and inventor. His ranch displays his ingenuity, with innovations such as a gasoline-powered washing machine and a tractor attached to a circular saw. To visit the ranch, it is necessary to book a tour through the parks service at the Oasis Visitors Center or Joshua Tree Visitors Center. William spent most of his life on his ranch, raised seven children, shot a man, went to jail, was pardoned and even played himself in two Walt Disney movies, Wild Burro of the West (1960) and Chico the Misunderstood Coyote (1961).
3. Joshua Tree National Park
The Joshua tree is a giant member of the lily family called Yucca brevifolia and is related to the Mojave yucca. It is sometimes described as a yucca plant on top of a leafless tree. Native Americans used the plant for making baskets and sandals and roasted its seeds for eating. It was the Mormons who actually named the plant after the biblical figure Joshua, observing the outstretched limbs of the tree pointing towards heaven. The national park covers 794,000 acres, consisting of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts and four mountain ranges. Joshua trees are scattered throughout the park and intermixed with many granite rock formations. There are 12 nature trails, six major hiking trails and campgrounds, all connected by paved roads. Make sure you stop at the Keys Viewpoint and look down on the massive San Andreas fault and the Coachella Valley.
4. First Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center
Twentynine Palms is a military city, with a marine base just north of town. Over the years, soldiers have undergone basic training here and then been assigned around the world to fight. Soldiers undergo a month of training called Mojave Viper, as the desert resembles the terrain of Iraq and Afghanistan. For example, the First Marine Division from Twentynine Palms on March 21, 2003, crossed the border into Kuwait and began Operation Iraqi Freedom. The liberation of Iraq ended with the First Tank Battalion toppling a 40-foot bronze statue of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, a sight seen around the world. The marines don’t boast about their accomplishments, but the murals in Twentyninen Palms tell the story. One huge mural depicts Operation Iraqi Freedom, while another depicts the return of marines from the 1991 Persian Gulf War and operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. The base has 12,000 active duty marines, sailors and soldiers and is the world’s largest marine corps base, with a population of 25,000 people.
Twentynine Palms is 54 miles north of the more famous Palm Springs. Most people simply pass through Twentynine Palms, but there is a good RV park called Twentynine Palms RV Resort and the local sights are worth the visit.
