Indio Attractions

Riverside County

Location and origin

Indio lies in the center of the fertile Coachella Valley on the U.S. 10, about equidistant from Los Angeles and San Diego (100mi/160km). Originally it was a work camp when the Southern Pacific Railroad was under construction in 1876, and it was initially named Indian Wells. Not until later did it receive its present name ("indio" is Spanish for Indian); Indians had in fact inhabited the valley since the 11th century.

Date capital

C. P. Huntington, president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, brought back with him from a trip to Algeria some date-palm seedlings; these formed the basic stock for the many trees which gave Indio the reputation of being the "Date Capital" of the United States. The "Date Festival" has been held here every year since 1921, the highlights of which are camel and ostrich races. 95% of all American dates are harvested in Coachella Valley, which is well irrigated by the distant Colorado, thanks to the All American Canal. You may obtain information regarding the history and cultivation of dates from a 25-minute slide show in Shields Date Gardens (80-225 Highway 111.)