Cora Crawford gently laughed when she told the story of her first year in college in Texas studying to be a nurse. She was interested in nurturing. But she figured out pretty quickly she was afraid of dead people” and instead decided to change careers and go into education. The decision was a fortunate one for the children of Palm Springs.
Crawford came to the desert from Carthage, Texas, in 1951, when her husband, Samuel, came back to collect her and bring her West. He had heard that there were plenty of jobs in the desert that paid pretty well and set out for a better life, hoping to get established. He got a job with Earl Neel at the Palm Springs Nursery and soon returned to Carthage to bring Cora back with him to California. The couple landed on Section 14, in the middle of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation, and rented a house from Samuel’s brother and his wife. With a place to live, Cora and Samuel started a family.
March 01, 2021
Palm Springs, California is located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles in the Coachella Valley area of the Sonoran Desert. A popular resort city for many years, Palm Springs is known for its natural hot springs, hotels, restaurants, golf courses, and sunny weather. It s been a favorite destination for Hollywood stars since the 1930s, and many celebrities maintain homes in the Palm Springs area.
The climate is one of the most attractive features of Palm Springs, and desert communities have spread eastward as the demand for homes has increased. Until relatively recently, many Palm Springs hotels, restaurants, and attractions closed during the hot summer months. Now, however, Palm Springs and the nearby communities are home to year-round residents as well as snowbirds and second home owners.