Up Miracle hill

There is nothing extraordinary when nearing Cabot Yerxa’s Pueblo House. There are no signs marking the way, no big flags and no crowds. It is found by going uphill on residential streets in a northeast corner of Desert Hot Springs. A simple driveway leads to a small parking area and it is only then you begin to see what is in store.

Trish and I were greeted by Waokiye, a 22-foot Lakota Indian head carved from a Sequoia Redwood. Just below that and the parking area, we laid our eyes upon the looming Cabot Pueblo House, a sprawling creation of four stories and 5,000 square feet. Though it had begun as a simple small shelter, it had been continually added onto for a quarter century making it an arid desert version of The Winchester Mystery House.

Our mission was to explore as much as possible inside and out, thus delivering a comprehensive description of the lodge and grounds. Enough details and history were to be absorbed as to fit the standards for Outerrealmz.com and compel others to take the time to do the same. And here it is.

Yerxa’s Quest

Cabot Yerxa was a world traveler, businessman, artist, artifact collector, human rights activist and eventually a desert dweller when he came here to the Coachella Valley in 1913 at the age of 30. He homesteaded on a 160-acre tract that would eventually encompass the pueblo house. He was one of the first settlers in what would become Desert Hot Springs.

Needing water, he dug a well and out came steaming hot mineral water at 132 degrees. 600 yards away he dug another well and found cold drinkable water. Finding both hot and cold water so close together inspired him to name the place “Miracle Hill.” It is one of a mere handful of places in the world with naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs.

It wasn’t until 1941 that he began building the present pueblo house. Beginning as a stone shelter around a very small bedroom with a dirt floor, Yerxa began adding on and did not stop until his death in 1965. All the work was done with his own hands and materials were salvaged from the desert. He first used lumber and materials from his original homestead on the other side of the hill. Then he began dismantling abandoned cabins near and far, hauling in wooden beams, metal and glass. He even straightened out used nails. He handmade the adobe style sun-dried bricks that make up a large portion of the structure. It was his intention to have it resemble a  pueblo house in the Native-American “Hopi” fashion.

From the very beginning of this endeavor he planned to turn it into a museum for others to learn from. Cabot’s Pueblo House Museum officially opened to the public in 1950. Ultimately, the continued construction would result in 35 rooms, 150 windows, 30 rooflines and 65 doors. Even with all this, his wife Portia, wanted her say, so within the expansive workings, Cabot built her a private apartment, complete with her own bathroom, walk in closet, writing nook, kitchenette and a stairway up to a meditation room at the top. Many of the rooms include Cabot Yerxa’s collections of artwork, antiques, photographs and artifacts from cultures all over the world.

Cabot was not only instrumental in developing his pueblo house and museum but was also responsible for helping to establish the community of Desert Hot Springs. His discovery that the area had both hot and cold mineral springs became an attribute which would later draw many people to seek out the therapeutic waters there. He went on to become one of three men credited with the founding of the city. Working with other businessmen and entrepreneurs, he would eventually earn the name of, “Mr. Desert Hot Springs.” In addition, Cabot Yerxa wrote hundreds of articles for local newspapers, thus providing a wealth of information on the history and development of the area.

It was Yerxa’s intention for the things he discovered and created to live on and educate people after he was gone. This did happen, but there were a few bumps in the road. After his death in 1965, his widow Portia, stayed in the capacious creation her husband had worked so hard to create. But three years later, noting it was too much to live alone in, she moved to her native Texas to live with her sister, and the pueblo house became abandoned. During this time, squatters and vandals often intruded, leaving the house disrespected and trashed.

Luckily, Cabot Yerxa’s friend, Cole Eyraud, came to the rescue. He purchased the place,  moved himself and his family in, cleaned it up and protected it from further abuse.  Peter “Wolf” Toth, the Hungarian born sculptor, contributed by carving the 22- foot Native American head on the property as part of his “Trail of Whispering Giants,” throughout Canada and the U.S.

Eventually, Cole Eyraud, donated the entire house and acreage to the City of Desert Hot Springs, and it has been amazingly preserved and used as a museum and learning center, as Cabot Yerxa had wanted.

 

What to Expect

Today you can stroll the grounds for free during business hours. The acreage contains plenty to explore, including a trading post, meditational garden, the original pump house at the top of the hill and several other outbuildings. For a small fee you can take a tour of the inside, at least parts of the inside. There you will learn the story of Cabot Yerxa and The Pueblo House Museum in far more range and detail than I have provided here. Unfortunately, photographs are not permitted inside, which explains the outdoor photos only on this post. However, I can assure you, the tour and the things you will see and learn about are well worth the time and a few dollars. Trish and I were intrigued, entertained and educated during our tour there in February.  As of this writing (early April) The Cabot’s Pueblo House and Museum is temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic for precautionary reasons. But this too shall pass, and it is well worth the excursion if you are travelling in Southern California.

Cabot’s Pueblo House Is located at 67-616 East Desert View Ave. in Desert Hot Springs. It is brutally hot in the summer and I suggest autumn through early spring for a visit. You can get more information at www.cabotsmuseum.org. It is truly a miraculous journey into how one person’s vision can manifest into something we can all experience.