The city of Twentynine Palms is situated in the Morongo Basin of San Bernardino County, about 140 miles east of Los Angeles and 50 miles northeast of Palm Springs. The first recorded exploration of the area was made in 1855 by desert surveyor Col. Henry Washington.
Washington encountered Native Americans, principally members of the Chemehuevi tribe, living in the region near a spring they called “Mar-rah,” meaning “land of little water.”
The area’s early Native American inhabitants, including the Serrano, Chemehuevi and Cahuilla peoples, were followed in the 1870s by prospectors searching for gold. The spring became known as the Oasis of Mara and was used by prospectors to rest and replenish their water supplies before venturing farther into the desert.
Gold mining continued sporadically in the following years but declined around the beginning of World War I as new ore deposits became increasingly difficult to find.
After World War I, veterans returned home suffering from tuberculosis and the effects of mustard gas that was used in combat. The clean and dry desert air of Twentynine Palms was considered beneficial for people with respiratory and heart ailments.
Dr. James B. Luckie treated many World War I veterans in the area, and some brought their families and began homesteading 160-acre parcels.
Several stories have been told about how Twentynine Palms received its name, although some have not been authenticated. According to one account, gold miners began using the name because 29 Washingtonia filifera palm trees surrounded the oasis.
However, it has also been reported that A.P. Green, a member of an 1858 survey party, counted 26 large palm trees at the oasis rather than 29.
The city of Twentynine Palms was incorporated Nov. 23, 1987. It serves as a gateway to Joshua Tree National Park, which covers nearly 800,000 acres.
The city is also home to the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, the world’s largest Marine Corps training base.
Today, Twentynine Palms encompasses 58 square miles and has a population of more than 28,000. Its official motto is “Life is fine in 29.”
The information in this historical feature was originally part of a video series produced by the Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk’s office.
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