The Hay Days of Palm Springs

Cowboys return for a Wild WestFest celebrating a slice of the desert’s heritage

Maryann Kleinschmidt

So many people see the Coachella Valley as a place of Hollywood celebrities and industry icons, tuxedoes and gowns, gourmet cuisine, and place settings with shiny silverware and elegant flower arrangements. But, like Howard Hughes (a frequent visitor in the 1940s), the desert harbors a second personality: that of chaps and denim, chuck wagons with tin plates, leather saddles and dusty trails — even among Hollywood luminaries.