George Welwood Murray, son of pioneer Welwood Murray, arrived in Palm Springs the day following the successful vote by the citizens of the Village to incorporate and become the City of Palm Springs.
He met with the president and the vice president of the Library Board and expressed his willingness to deed the Murray Memorial corner at 100 S. Palm Canyon Drive to the new city. In an informal meeting, the Library Board examined and agreed the plans drawn by John Porter Clark were satisfactory.
On July 21, 1938 (from 7:30 to 9 p.m.), the library moved from La Plaza to the Murray Memorial corner (now the site of the Welwood Murray Memorial Library) into a building adapted at the expense of Murray. Frances Crocker, most famous for being the “father” of the Palm Springs Tramway, gave the use of two California-Nevada Electric Co. trucks and secured the services of the Lions Club for loading and unloading the books.
A Coleman gasoline lantern was used for three weeks, and then the owners of the Plaza donated electricity until the library cables were installed.
As Palm Springs celebrates its 75th anniversary, there are a multitude of ways to learn more about this desert treasure. One of the more intriguing methods is by exploring the city’s history.
Bi-monthly, the Palm Springs Historical Society will share a story whose time and place corresponds with today.
The Palm Springs Historical is located at 221 S. Palm Canyon Drive. For more information, visit www.pshistoricalsociety.org