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Did you know?Indian Wells and La Quinta comprise the major portion of the parish boundaries. Indian Wells was so named because the Cahuilla Indians roamed this area to draw water from the wells. La Quinta in English means “the fifth”, and referred to the fifth day stopover for travelers weary of horse, stagecoach and wagon. They would stop here for rest and recuperation.
For nearly 40 years, starting in 1962, Indian Wells was the Coachella Valley’s only established watering point and a pivotal stagecoach stop for intrepid gold prospectors seeking their fortunes on the Colorado River. The first settlers arrived around 1910 and were credited with pioneering the valley’s date industry.
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The original church land was part of the Clarke Ranch at Point Happy, owned by Chauncey and Marie Clarke, and it was the showplace of the Coachella valley from 1912-1952. He raised Arabian horses on the property, but the main purpose of the ranch was the cultivation and sale of Deglet Noor dates. Other trees included grapefruit, lemon, orange, limes, tangerines, kumquat, loquat, fig, plum and peach, as well as a large garden producing vegetables and fruit.
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When St. Francis of Assisi Church was but a dream in the heads of the founding pastor, Fr. Raymond Bluett and his friend, Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli, this was the image they initially envisioned. However, reproducing the 13th century church would prove impractical, so instead they designed a basilica style church with a vaulted ceiling, reminiscent of the Romanesque architecture of the 12th century.
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As builders began the construction of St. Francis of Assisi Church in 1983, you can see that other than the Highland Palms subdivision to the north of the church property, there was virtually nothing across Washington Street except scrub brush. How times have changed!
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