In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, the Historical Society of Palm Desert explores the city's past.

Palm Springs has been a desert vacation oasis for nearly a century and remains the ultimate posh desert spa in pop culture. Film stars put Palm Springs on the map as a destination for weekend getaways. In the postwar era, it became a centerpiece for golfers and a second home for such Hollywood icons as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Over the years, postcards portraying Palm Springs have concentrated on its hotels, spas, golf courses, celebrities, and other aspects that have fed the national reputation of the city and its environs as a playground for the rich and famous.

Riverside has been a vital center of agriculture and government throughout the growth of Southern California. Postcards sent from this city to those far away usually depict it as a resort, situated on the western edge of the Colorado Desert, where the historic Mission Inn has been a vacation destination for generations. Illustrating many facets of this world-renowned, garden-like gathering spot, these attractive images also showcase Riverside's Main Street, public buildings, parks, broad avenues, the sharply rising Mt. Rubidoux on the edge of town, and the influence of the citrus industry.

Desert insiders know Palm Desert as the geographic and cultural heart of the Coachella Valley. This resort town with over 30 golf courses started as a barren outpost aptly named Sand Hole. Founder Cliff Henderson envisioned a modern utopia growing from the scrub andaas a centerpieceabuilt the Shadow Mountain Club in 1948. With its glamorous figure-eight swimming pool and high-dive competitions, the club drew celebrities, presidents, and future residents. Cliffas brother Randall Henderson spotlighted another side of desert life when he established the headquarters of Desert Magazine in the new town, luring readers to pack up their jeeps and move to Palm Desert. The brothersa twin vision made Palm Desert the irresistible blend of city and wilderness it is today. Visitors can shop El Paseo, known as the aRodeo Drive of the Desert,a then in 10 minutes embark on a mountainous thrill rideathe Palms to Pines Highway.

Explore the glamor and style of Palm Springs in its golden age with this gorgeously illustrated book of vintage photographs, postcards and other ephemera. From the 1910s through the 1960s, Palm Springs, California, was a city that had it all, including marvelous midcentury Modern architecture, fabulous fly-in hotels, and a swinging nightlife. Featuring vintage images of the area’s famous hotels and gambling dens, as well as the Coachella Valley, Palm Springs Holiday tells the story of this legendary destination in its golden age. Author and architectural historian Peter Moruzzi provides essential historical context as well as insightful and engaging commentary about a time when people vacationed in the desert, dining, dancing, and lounging poolside.

Susie Keef Smith was seeking escape from a troubled home life and the havoc of childhood polio when she took a job as postmaster in Mecca, on the edge of California's Salton Sea. She and her cousin Lula Mae Graves set out to photograph the last of the prospectors, burro packers and stage stops in the remote desert to the east. They traveled by burro, foot and Ford though sandy washes and roadless canyons, armed with a .38 revolver and a large format camera. While making postcards for the Post Office spinner rack, the women were remade in the wilderness and wound up creating an unparalleled portrait of one of the lesser-known deserts in the West. Susie Smith's photos were nearly lost to history when--upon her death--they were tossed out by a county estate administrator. A savvy archaeologist jumped into a dumpster and rescued many of the photos in this book. Postcards From Mecca presents portraits of a mysterious land along with the story of its heroic chroniclers, self-taught documentary photographers of the 1920s and '30s.

The Salton Sea was an accident of man created when heavy rainfall caused the Rio Colorado to swell and breach an Imperial Valley dike in 1905. For two years, water flowed into the Salton Sink and ancient Lake Cahuilla. Today, the sea is 227 feet below sea level, covers approximately 376 square miles, and is California's largest lake. During the early 1900s, it became an important bird and waterfowl refuge. When many species of fish were introduced, the Salton Sea also became popular for boating, fishing, hunting, and camping activities. Motels, yacht clubs, and marinas developed around Salton City and North Shore. During recent decades, the sea has become polluted from agricultural runoff, creating a doubtful future for the Salton Sea. However, it remains a sanctuary for anyone who enjoys bird watching, desert landscapes, or beautiful farmlands.