The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city derived its name from a historic Cahuilla Native American water reservoir, which served as a crucial water supply for nearby tribes.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items below1976Ford B2251 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-11-0…Commons
1980–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Be one of the first
Start Indian Wells’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Indian Wells’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewFord B2251 NLGRF photo contact sh…, 1976: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people close to Indian Wells
See all 25 →
By decade
Indian Wells, decade by decade
1980s–
1990s
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places
1 historic place in Indian Wells
1 place in Indian Wells is on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
#254
In Californiaby listings · most towns there have none
1place listed1 building
0National Historic LandmarksNone here yet
1historic building protectedcounting each building in a district
2026first listedDesert Bel Air Showcase House
Where they are
Tap a dot for a photo and link. Districts show at their center.
Buildings
When they were listed
The Register began in 1966.
60s
70s
80s
90s
00s
10s
120s
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places (05/22/2026) · styles from the National Archives catalog · photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Ford B2251 NLGRF photo contact sheet (1976-11-08)(Gerald Ford Library) (1976) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the Library of Congress (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.