Bob Hope
Brought World Attention to
Palm Springs
Of all the celebrities who played in Palm Springs and established residence in the desert oasis, only a handful 
were responsible for the tremendous impact on making the name "Palm Springs" known around the world.
Among the Hollywood people, three big names stand out even among other mega- stars for their continuous contributions to Palm Springs and the surrounding desert areas: Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, and Dinah Shore.
When Bob Hope passed away in 2003 at age 100, after almost a century of entertaining the world, numerous mourners placed floral wreaths atop the star on Palm Canyon Drive that bears his name.
Bob Hope was more than an entertainer, he was an institution, bringing joy and laughter to millions, yet his favorite place of all was Palm Springs. Palm Springs' first and foremost honorary mayor, Hope first visited Palm Springs in 1937 and bought his original home at 1014 Buena Vista in the Movie Colony in 1941.
He also owned another home nearby, at 1188 El Alameda. He still owned both at his death in July 2003. He often used the El Alameda home rather than staying at his formal residence, the futuristic Southridge home that has become a valley landmark. The huge building shaped like Darth Vader's helmet resting on a Southridge hill at the south end of town is the landmark most residents and visitors recognize as the "Bob Hope house." Also described as a Flying Saucer, the huge home is 28,000 square feet and was primarily used for entertaining. The home features a par 3 fairway and golf green. The actual house you see was not the original as it was burned to a skeleton frame in July 1973 and totally rebuilt.
His annual Palm Springs 
Bob Hope Golf Classic begun in 1964 has become one of the major draws to the Coachella Valley. It is perhaps the desert's largest fund- raiser, dispensing millions of dollars over the years to over 130 nonprofit organizations. The Bob Hope Classic Ball is one of the premiere social events of the year.
Hope donated 80 acres of land in 1966 (worth over a half million dollars at the time) to develop the Eisenhower Medical Center on what is now Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage. In addition, his golf tourney through the years has provided millions of dollars for the Eisenhower Medical Center.
Bob Hope's name will be passed on to future valley generations with the Bob Hope Cultural Center (theater) in Palm Desert and the fact that Bob Hope Drive is one of the Coachella Valley's main thoroughfares. The comedian loved the desert. Hope even spoke to a graduating class of Palm Springs High School who presented him with an honorary diploma. This man, who has 54 honorary doctorate degrees, a Peabody Award, the Special Oscar, an Emmy, and the Congressional Gold Medal, among other honors, told the delighted young audience that he really cherished the honor. He's even showed up unannounced at the Plaza Theatre to throw a few one- liners to a surprised Fabulous Palm Springs Follies audience.
He loved to walk and even in his 80's was spotted walking down Palm Canyon Drive. While his primary residence was in Toluca Lake where he passed away, his love of Palm Springs helped make the desert oasis a household word.
Excerpted from Palm Springs Legends (Sunbelt Publications, 2006). To find out more about the history of Palm Springs, you can purchase this wonderful book at local bookstores or from Sunbelt 800-626-6579 or www.sunbeltbooks.com.
by Greg Niemann
Photos Courtesy Palm Springs Historical Society.
The Miracle of Water
It is difficult to recognize today's world famous desert resorts of the Coachella Valley from the following description of the area written in the early 19th century: "The region ...is, of course, altogether valueless. After entering it there is nothing to do but leave. Ours had been the first, and will doubtless be the last party to visit this profitless locality." ... Lt. Joseph C. Ives, U.S. Topographical Engineer. How to account for the difference in Lt. Ives' prediction and the reality of today? WATER...lots of water! From prehistoric times to as recently as 500 years ago, the entire Valley was one huge lake filled with water from the Colorado River and the Gulf of California.
PGA West #17
Did you ever wonder where the material that once filled the Grand Canyon went? You are probably standing on some of it right now, deposited as the mighty Colorado River carved out the canyon in its rush to the sea. As the river changed its course, the flow into the Valley would occasionally be cut off and eventually the lake would dry up. Another change in the course and the water would return. This process went on until 500 years ago. Indian fish traps and evidence of the shoreline of Lake Cahuilla, as the body of water was called, can be seen on the lower slopes of the Santa Rosa Mountains on the south side of the Valley. None of this was known to Lt. Ives when he wrote his indictment of the desert almost 200 years ago. 
Despite the aridity of the area known as the northwest portion of the Colorado Desert, there were numerous attempts by hearty pioneers at "dry" farming. The land was cheap and there was plenty of sunshine but the lack of a dependable source of water led to many failures. However it was water that brought the first permanent settlers. Led by an Indian guide in the 1880's the McCallum family brought their ailing young son to the hot mineral springs at the base of Mt. San Jacinto. The young boy recovered and the secret was out. A small colony grew up around "the springs" which ultimately became the town of Palm Springs. These hot mineral springs are still there being used as swimming pools at the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indian's Spa Resort Hotel in the center of town. Warm mineral springs are found in several places in the Valley offering their salubrious effects to today's visitors just as they have for the Indians for centuries. The development from the first modest cluster of tents around hot mineral springs serving as a primitive health spa, to a collection of green golf courses, lush resorts and a major agricultural center required tremendous amounts of water. The miracle came from two sources. In the late 1890's it was revealed that a vast underground lake, called an aquifer, existed under the Valley floor. Wells were drilled with the fervor of oil wells in other parts of the country. The land rush was on! Then in 1948 a dependable supply of the Colorado River reached the Coachella Valley by means of a man made canal allowing the miraculous transformation from Lt. Ives' desert to the resort and agricultural community we know today. Today, the domestic needs of a population of 400,000 are served by the aquifer while water from the Colorado River is used for agriculture and most of the over 100 golf courses which are kept green all summer long. The future of the water supply to the Valley is uncertain and controversial. One thing is known...there are more than 12,000 fire hydrants owned by the Coachella Valley Water District, so for the time being, the canine population is happy! Excerpted in part from Wit and Wisdom of the Coachella Valley. Marcia Erickson