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| Humans have occupied the area encompassed by Joshua Tree National Park's
nearly 800,000 acres for at least 5,000 years. The first group known to
inhabit the area was the Pinto Culture, followed by the Serrano, the Chemehuevi,
and the Cahuilla. In the 1800s cattlemen drove their cows into the area
for the ample grass available at the time and built water impoundments
for them. Miners dug tunnels through the earth looking for gold and made
tracks
across the desert with their trucks. Homesteaders began filing claims in
the 1900s. They built cabins, dug wells, and planted crops. |
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| Each group left its mark upon the land and contributed to the rich cultural
history of Joshua Tree National Park. The park protects 501 archeological
sites, 88 historic structures, 19 cultural landscapes, and houses 123,253
items in its museum collection. |
| After the area became a national monument in 1936, local and regional
residents were the primary park visitors. As Southern California grew so
did park visitation; Joshua Tree now lies within a three-hour drive of more
than 18 million people. Since Joshua Tree was elevated from national monument
to national park status in 1994 however, greater numbers of visitors from
around the nation and the world come to experience Joshua Tree National
Park. |
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http://www.nps.gov/jotr/culture/culture.html
last modified: 8/26/04
web editor: Sandra kaye |
