I'm fascinated by early pioneers who had the tenacity to homestead some of the most desolate pieces of land. One such character was Cabot Yerxa who spent his youth traveling the world and studying in Paris. He acquired 160 acres of land in 1913 and began homesteading. He was 30 years old. What makes his story more remarkable is that the 160 acres is located in what is now Desert Hot Springs California, a place that often sees temperatures greater than 115 degrees (46c).
Cabot's first order of business was to get water on his land and he did that by hand digging a well with a shovel and pick. In the process, he discovered the hot springs that spurred the development of spas and resorts and eventually the city of Desert Hot Springs.
He began building a Hopi inspired pueblo from repurposed materials and things he found in the desert. In 1945, he opened his creation to the public. He continued working on the pueblo and hosting guests until his death in 1965 at the age of 81.
After Cabot died, his wife moved back to Texas where she had family and the property was abandoned for a period of time. Fortunately, a friend acquired the property and repaired some damage caused by vandals and eventually donated the property to the city.
Today Cabot's Pueblo is open to the public and operated as a museum by the city of Desert Hot Springs.
In 1978, this 43 foot, hand carved totem was added to the property. It was carved from a single log by artist Peter Wolf Toth. It is called "Waokiye" or "traditional helper" in the Lakota language.
I love finding these interesting bits of history scattered across the country. It's amazing what you will find when you get off of the beaten path (or the freeway).
3 comments:
Interesting bit of history. I did a Google search and I now know where to purchase books about Cabot Yerxa.
Fascinating. It seems like a place where I would tell my wife the weather is "balmy".
Quite eclectic.
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