About the Author

The photographs in this book come from the collection of the Historical Society of Palm Desert, as well as the never-before-displayed private collections of Cliff Henderson and other pioneers. The photographs were compiled by Hal Rover, past president of the Historical Society of Palm Desert; Kim Housken, member of the Palm Desert Historic Preservation Committee; and Brett Romer, vice president of the Historical Society of Palm Desert.

Reviews

Title: New Historical Society book tells story of Palm Desert
Author: Gina Tenorio
Publisher: The Desert Sun
Date: 2/12/2009 The Historical Society of Palm Desert is ready to debut the first history book written about the city. The release of "Images of America, Palm Desert," will be celebrated from 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Palm Desert Visitor Center. The 128-page book contains dozens of photos of the city's history. Members of the Historical Society of Palm Desert who contributed to the book are scheduled to attend and answer questions. Hal Rover, past president of the historical society, teamed with society board member Kim Housken and board vice president Brett Romer to create the book. The book's authors, who spent months putting it together, are anticipating the release. "We basically spent every day in July and August that the historical society was closed working on this," Rover said. "We were there every day. For two months we were pretty much married to the historical society building." But it was well worth it, because the book tells Palm Desert's story, and it will serve as a fundraiser for the historical society, he said. The photo-heavy book was published by Arcadia Publishing, which publishes local history books. The project was labor of love, Rover said. He is surprised that the book appears to be the only historical piece about Palm Desert. "You go to Palm Springs, there might be five or 10," Rover said. "Not for Palm Desert. And we have a lot of great history." Prominently featured are the Henderson brothers, Palm Desert's founding fathers. Randall and Cliff Henderson, native Iowans, moved to California to make their mark and wound up starting businesses in the area in the 1940s.

Title: Vintage postcards offer slice of Palm Desert life
Author: Jamie Lee Pricer
Publisher: Desert Sun
Date: 3/16/09 When Arcadia Publishing released its "Images of America" book on Palm Desert in February, it also printed a set of 15 postcards featuring a selection of vintage photos from the book. Here are three of them, with slices of life in Palm Desert from as far back as the early 20th century. The sets are available at: Historical Society of Palm Desert, 72-861 El Paseo, Palm Desert, 346-6588. Arcadia Publishing, 888-313-2665, arcadiapublishing.com Cost: $7.99 As the Coachella Valley experiences great growth and change, it's interesting to recall how our desert was settled and developed. Our History, a weekly feature appearing on Monday in The Desert Sun, offers tidbits of desert history and lore. If you have history you'd like to share, please contact:
Jamie Lee Pricer
750 N. Gene Autry Trail
Palm Springs, CA 92262 or jamie.pricer@thedesertsun.com