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History · Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Joshua Tree. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
1historic places
18recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Joshua Tree is a census-designated place (CDP) in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The population was 6,489 at the 2020 census. At approximately 2,700 feet (820 meters) above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the High Desert of California. The center of the business district in Joshua Tree is on California State Route 62.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 7,414 to 6,489 (-12%). Half of its homes were built before 1980.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Joshua Tree yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Joshua Tree’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Joshua Tree’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Joshua Tree

See all 2 →
MWMars WrightNotableJDJimmy DaleMusic
By decade

Joshua Tree, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today18 photos
PKS3 lucid steadCommonsPKS3 lucid stead2013PKS3 Lucid Stead 2CommonsPKS3 Lucid Stead 22013Joshua Tree, California 01CommonsJoshua Tree, California 012013High Desert MotelCommonsHigh Desert Motel2013Feathered dawn inCommonsFeathered dawn in2013Joshua Tree as the storm passesCommonsJoshua Tree as the storm passes2012Joshua Tree Saloon, CaliforniaCommonsJoshua Tree Saloon, California2012Hell on Earth, spectacular sunset inCommonsHell on Earth, spectacular sunset in2012Bajadas coming down from the Providence Mountains. Seen fromCommonsBajadas coming down from the Providence Mountains. Seen from2012Actual sunset inCommonsActual sunset in2012Actual sunset in Joshua Tree California, USA (crop)CommonsActual sunset in Joshua Tree California, USA (crop)2012Sunrise in Joshua Tree, California 09-07-11CommonsSunrise in Joshua Tree, California 09-07-112011Astro camping area jpg 2CommonsAstro camping area jpg 22010USMC-01831CommonsUSMC-018312009USMC-01721CommonsUSMC-017212009USMC-01663CommonsUSMC-016632009Joshua Tree S CurveCommonsJoshua Tree S Curve2008Feathered Dusk inCommonsFeathered Dusk in2008
National Register of Historic Places

1 historic place in Joshua Tree

Joshua Tree has 1 listing on the National Register, and they protect 27 historic buildings, because New City of Mentalphysics Historic District alone counts 27.

#254
In Californiaby listings · most towns there have none
1place listed1 district
0National Historic LandmarksNone here yet
27historic buildings protectedcounting each building in a district
2023first listedNew City of Mentalphysics Historic District

Where they are

Tap a dot for a photo and link. Districts show at their center.
New City of Mentalphysics Historic District
Districts

When they were listed

The Register began in 1966.
Listed 2023New City of Mentalphysics Historic DistrictDistrictArchitectureTown planningSocial history
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

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Yucca Valley📜 Twentynine Palms📜 Desert Hot Springs📜 Cathedral City

From Wikimedia Commons (18). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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