The Palmdale Railroad was a horse-drawn railroad which existed only briefly in present-day

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...

, built in 1888. Originally proposed by a Professor Wheaton, a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

native who relocated to the desert due to

asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...

, the railroad was part of a larger development which included of

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

groves. Running primarily down present-day Farrell Drive to the proposed settlement of Palmdale at the foot of Mount San Jacinto near the present-day settlement of Snow Creek (not to be confused with the Antelope Valley city of the same name), the line was abandoned by 1893 due to lack of water.

Ties TIES may refer to: * TIES, Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science * TIES, The Interactive Encyclopedia System * TIES, Time Independent Escape Sequence * Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science * The International Ecotourism Society {{disambig ...

from the right-of-way were used to build the

Cornelia White House The Cornelia White House is a historic 1893 wooden residential structure located in downtown Palm Springs, California, and is one of the oldest surviving structures in the town. It is part of the Village Green Heritage Center. Cornelia White h ...

, which still stands today in downtown Palm Springs. For years after its abandonment, a single, dilapidated horse-drawn car remained in the desert as a sort of landmark to travelers. (Which includes a sketch of a Palmdale Railroad passenger car by

Carl Eytel Carl Eytel (September 12, 1862 – September 17, 1925) was a German American artist who built his reputation for paintings and drawings of desert subjects in the American Southwest. Immigrating to the United States in 1885, he settled in Palm Sp ...

.) The car is no longer visible and is presumed to be buried beneath the sand. The California Office of Historic Preservation recognized the site of the railroad as a

point of interest A point of interest (POI) is a specific point location that someone may find useful or interesting. An example is a point on the Earth representing the location of the Eiffel Tower, or a point on Mars representing the location of its highest ...

on November 3, 1969.

References

External links

Self-guided tour of downtown Palm Springs including the Cornelia White House at www.pspf.net

Palmdale Railroad listing at Office of Historic Preservation's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palmdale Railroad Palm Springs, California Coachella Valley Defunct California railroads 1888 establishments in California 1893 disestablishments in California Transportation in Riverside County, California History of Riverside County, California Railway lines opened in 1888

See also

References

External links