Editing Palm Desert, California (section)

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2021}}
Palm Desert is in the ancestral homeland of the [[Cahuilla]] people, who are nowadays organized as a division of the [[Morongo Band of Mission Indians]]. Their bird songs and funeral songs share the oral tradition of how they lived on this land for over 10,000 years.

The area was first known as the '''Old MacDonald Ranch''', before the name changed to '''Palm Village''' in the 1920s when [[date palm]] groves were planted. That original tract is today referred to as the ''Palma Village'' neighborhood in the central part of the city. Most of the pre-World War II residents of Palm Desert were Cahuilla farmers of the now extinct ''San Cayetano'' tribe; the Montoya family of Cahuilla and Spanish descent were prominent civic leaders in the early years of Palm Desert.

The first large scale residential development began in 1943 in connection with the United States [[United States Army|Army's]] [[Desert Training Center]], constructed in the area under the leadership of General [[George S. Patton]] during the Second World War in preparation for fighting in North Africa. After the War, the part of the site south of [[California State Route 111|Highway 111]] was developed into "[[El Paseo (Palm Desert, California)|El Paseo]]", an [[luxury goods|upscale shopping]] district modeled after [[Rodeo Drive]]. In 1948, the Palm Desert Corporation began to develop real estate, and in 1951 the area was given its present name.

The Henderson brothers began developing the Shadow Mountain Club in south Palm Desert in 1946. Completed in 1948, the club was the first of many large-scale resorts in Palm Desert, featuring a 360,000 gallon pool, golf course, tennis courts, hotel, restaurant, and entertainment amenities for visiting families.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/life/2020/08/16/history-shadow-mountain-club-offered-something-everyone/5592576002/|title=History: Shadow Mountain Club offered a little something for everyone|first=Tracy|last=Conrad|website=The Desert Sun|accessdate=March 3, 2025}}</ref>