Dos Palmas Spring facts for kids
Dos Palmas Spring is a special place in the Colorado Desert in Riverside County, California. It's an artesian spring, which means water flows up naturally from underground. This spring, along with others nearby, creates a green oasis in the middle of the hot desert. It lies at the foot of the Orocopia Mountains.
A Desert Watering Hole
For hundreds of years, Dos Palmas Spring was a vital watering spot for Native Americans traveling across the Colorado Desert. They used a long trail that followed oases like this one, going between the Colorado River and Southern California. It was a safe place to rest and get water on their journeys.
In 1862, during the gold rush, Dos Palmas Spring became an important stop for gold seekers. These travelers were on the Bradshaw Trail, heading between San Bernardino and the gold mining town of La Paz, Arizona. Later, the trail led to Ehrenberg. A stagecoach stop called Dos Palmas was set up here for travelers on the Bradshaw and Yuma roads. Sadly, a man named Herman Ehrenberg was killed at this spring on October 9, 1866.
Dos Palmas Preserve
Today, Dos Palmas Spring is part of the Dos Palmas Preserve. This preserve covers about 14,000 acres. It was created to protect important plants and animals. The oasis has hundreds of desert fan palms and pools of water. These pools are fed by the artesian springs and by water that seeps from the nearby Coachella Canal.
This wetland area offers a safe home for many different animal species. Some of these animals are threatened or endangered, meaning they are at risk of disappearing. Examples include the endangered Yuma Rail and the Desert Pupfish. The preserve also protects special plants like the Orocopia Sage. It's a vital refuge from the hot, dry Colorado Desert.
