Quail Springs Farm

Joshua Tree Farm, Garden, & Nursery

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History of Quail Springs Farm
    The history of Quail Springs Farm is being researched so please note that this area of the site may change as more information is
 
  • In the early days, original Quail Springs Road brought miners and ranchers through the property. 
  • The new road (built in 19__) rerouted the road to the properties edge. 
  • 19__ establishment of the road system and historic parcels
  • 19__ water available from the water district. 
  • 19__ failed attempt to establish a campground on the property.
  • 1971 bought by the late Dean Lowe from Joshua Tree Associates, Inc.
  • 2006 property leased to James & Kelly Verret.
  
   

History of Joshua Tree

 
1880

1918     William Keys brings his bride, Frances M. Lawton to the Desert Queen Ranch, now known as the historic Keys Ranch, within the Joshua Tree National Park.

1928-29     Hi-Desert Airport in Sunfair area was in use.

1936     Joshua Tree National Monument was established. It became a Class A wilderness area airshed station in 1977 and a world biosphere reserve in 1984. In 1994 it was named a National Park and an additional 234,000 acres and 163,000 wilderness acres were added to the park’s holdings. Weather records have been kept in the park since 1936. Park administrators are advised by a citizens’ commission appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

1937     According to historian Joan Wilson, real estate developers arrived.

1943     U.S. Post Office established in Joshua Tree. Its first postmistress, Grace Rees, is still living in Joshua Tree. She described to this writer a spirit of cooperation among the women running all of the Morongo Basin post offices while the men were abroad fighting World War II.

1944     Joshua Tree Woman’s Club was formed, then federated in 1948.

1945     The Joshua Tree Branch of the San Bernardino County Library was established.

1945     The Joshua Tree Chamber of Commerce was formed. The Chamber now holds popular downtown street fairs in the spring and fall.

1946     The Sportsman’s Club was formed. For many years, their grounds served as the precursor of the Hi-Desert Playhouse and the Joshua Tree Community Center, housing theatrical productions such as an annual Christmas pageant and Vaudeville "Follies" and park and recreation activities. The club still hosts the annual Gem and Mineral Jamboree (the 25th will be held in 2000). The club and the Sportettes’ bingo games fund numerous community activities that would not be able to operate without their help.

1946-1975   Joshua Tree Turtle Races were held on the first weekend in May. After passage of the Endangered Species Act prohibited the use of the native desert tortoise, the races were continued with box turtles.  Eventually, public and official outrage at "inappropriate use of a resource" led to the demise of this festival, which those who remember it consider best forgotten.

1948   Joshua Tree Fire Protection District was established. Its first fire chief was Robert Garry, the son-in-law of William F. Keys and husband of his daughter, Pat. Initially, an all-volunteer force operated out of the Garry’s Shell service station on the northwestern corner of Park Boulevard and SR 60, with firefighters summoned to service by a claxon on the roof of the garage.

1963   The Joshua Basin County Water District was established.

1968  The community voted to join the Mojave Water Agency to reserve State Water Project water for its future use. Service connections in 1999 numbered about 4,000.

1984   The Joshua Tree Campus of College of the Desert was built in the Panorama Heights area.  The college is now a California Community College and was renamed Copper Mountain College,
 

 

History of Joshua Tree National Park
While the Joshua Tree area has been inhabited by humans for at least 5,000 years, by the late 1920s the development of new roads into the desert had brought an influx of land developers and cactus poachers. Minerva Hoyt, a Pasadena resident who was extremely fond of desert plants, became concerned about the removal of cacti and other plants to the gardens of Los Angeles. Her tireless efforts to protect this area culminated in 825,000 acres being set aside as Joshua Tree National Monument in 1936.

The monument was administered by the superintendent of Yosemite National Park until James Cole was appointed as the first superintendent in 1940. The eastern portion of the historic Oasis of Mara was deeded to the National Park Service by the Twentynine Palms Corporation in 1950. That same year the monument's size was reduced by 265,000 acres to exclude some mining property.

As part of the Desert Protection Bill, Joshua Tree National Monument was elevated to park status on October 31, 1994. The bill also added 234,000 acres. The new park boundary follows natural features and includes complete ecological units such as entire mountain ranges. Previous boundaries divided these ranges along survey lines. The additions provide better resource protection with easier boundary identification and monitoring and important habitat for desert bighorn sheep. Elevations in the park range from a low of 536 feet to a high of 5,814 feet at Quail Mountain.

In 1976 Congress designated 420,000 acres within the monument as wilderness. Of the park's current 794,000 acres, 585,000 is designated wilderness.

Joshua Tree provides habitat for 712 higher plant species, 40 reptile species, 41 mammal species, and 240 bird species. The federal register lists one park reptile, the desert tortoise, as threatened and one park plant species, the Coachella Valley milk vetch, as endangered. In addition there are 26 species of special concern being protected within the park.

Joshua Tree has one paleontological area and potentially eight more. The park protects 501 archeological sites, 88 historic structures, 19 cultural landscapes, and houses 123,253 items in its museum collection.

Park staff maintain 88 miles of paved roads and 81 miles of unpaved roads, nine campgrounds with 523 campsites and two horsecamps, and 10 picnic areas with 38 picnic sites. There are 32 trailheads and 191 miles of hiking trails throughout the park. Park staff greet visitors at three entrance stations, two visitor centers, and one nature center.

 Behind the scenes the park maintains 10 water treatment facilities, nine solar power stations, four maintenance facilities, eight employee housing units, and 95 vehicles.
 
 
 

 

Quail Springs Farm

  

 

Mile 3.0 miles up Park Blvd/Quail Springs Road
On the way to the main entrance to the park
Joshua Tree, CA 92252

 
Quail        
Coyote Ducks Fish Greenhouses Water

1.8 miles from the

Joshua Tree National Park - Main Gate