Centuries ago, ancestors of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled in the Palm Springs area.

They developed complex communities in the Palm, Murray, Andreas, Tahquitz, and Chino Canyons. With abundant water supply, plant and animal life, the Cahuilla Indians thrived. They grew crops of melons, squash, beans, and corn, gathered plants and seeds for food, medicines and basket weaving and hunted animals.

Today, remains of Cahuilla society like rock art, housepits and foundations, irrigation ditches, dams, reservoirs, trails, and food preparation areas still exist in the canyons.

The Agua Caliente Indians were industrious and creative with a reputation for independence, integrity, and peace. They believed this productive land of their ancestors would always be theirs.

However, in 1876 the U.S. Federal Government deeded in trust to the Agua Caliente people 52,000 acres to be used as their homeland. At the same time, they gave the Southern California Railroad ten miles of odd sections of land to induce them to build the railroad. Of the reservation's 52,000 acres, some 6,700 lie within the Palm Springs city limits. The remaining sections fan across the desert and mountains in a checker-board pattern.