Drive north out of Palm Springs on Highway 62, past Desert Hot Springs, and the appreciative eye is drawn towards the majesty of Mount San Gorgonio to the west. 11,503 feet above sea level, and about 9,000 feet above this place right here, the Mission Creek Preserve.
In a land that is a little bit Mojave Desert, with a touch of the Sonoran Desert thrown in for good measure, Mission Creek Preserve is an often-overlooked gem on the way to its more famous and bigger cousin, Joshua Tree National Park. Mission Creek Preserve offers 4,760 acres of contrast and mystery, just up the road from Interstate 10.
Just what is this place, anyway? Some believe it was a Civilian Conservation Camp from the time of the Great Depression. ‘Taint so! Fact is, it was a ranch of a kind, catering to the Hollywood elite, years before Palm Springs took off to world-class stature.
The Life and Times of the T Cross K
Long before T Cross K Guest Ranch was even a twinkle in somebody’s eye, special commissioner for the Mission Indians, Charles A. Wetmore, encouraged President Grant in 1876 to set aside land for reservations, and in 1877 the Mission Agency was established.
The Mission Indians, named by the Padres, over whom Judge John Guthrie McCallum assumed authority as an Indian Agent in 1883 consisted of 390 Serranos, 793 Cahuillas, 1,142 San Luis Reyes and 745 Dieguenos, totaling approximately 3,3070 local Native Americans. Two thirds lived in San Diego County. Nearly all the others dwelt in San Bernardino County. (The McCallum Saga, 1973)
One of the reservations created was Mission Creek reservation, of which George Wharton James, author of The Wonders of the Colorado Desert (1906) aptly wrote, “Then the white man came and drove the Indian out (as he had no legal title) and built an adobe house.”
The Mission Creek reservation seems to have been labeled as “hog ranch” for a number of years. It was shown as “Hog Ranch” on the Punnett Brothers sectional map published in 1906.
The hog ranch designation persisted, according to a Bureau of Soils Map of 1917.
Author Cabot Yerxa was the first to write about the ranch by name in The Desert Sentinel in his column called On The Desert. He recalled that in 1912 Frank William DeLong (1886-1950) and his wife, Francis, established the T Cross K as a cattle ranch in Mission Canyon alongside Mission Creek. It even had its own cattle brand. In those days, cattle ranged the desert very freely.
Although DeLong may have used a cattle brand in 1912, according to archival records he did not officially register the T + K brand with Riverside County until June 29, 1916 at 10:37 a.m. where it was recorded as #17. The cross resembled the shape of a crucifix, not an ‘X’. It was filed in Book No. 1 of Brands. The county recorder was J.S. Logan and the registration fee was 50 cents.
Jaylyn pored through Riverside County’s Robert J. Fitch archives on October 28, 2025 to discover the T Cross K brand registration under F.W. DeLong in 1916 on page 133.
Cattlemen in Riverside County used earmarks and brands to identify their livestock. This was standard practice in California, inherited from the state’s Spanish and Mexican ranching history. The rancheros each had their own brand.
When Riverside County was formed in 1893, local ranchers carried on the tradition of branding. This practice was particularly important for ranchers on open ranges and in the “high country.”
Official record.
To combat cattle rustling, California passed the Hide and Brand Law in 1917, creating a formal, statewide system for registering and inspecting brands. This means ranchers in Riverside County would have needed to register their brands with the state to prove ownership and trace stolen or lost animals.
California maintains a “brand book,” which is a catalog of all registered brands, including those belonging to ranchers in Riverside and other counties. This provides a definitive record of who owns which livestock.
Book No. 1 of Brands.
We looked through Cattle Brands Box 2 for T + K’s brand on leather. It was listed as #133, which matched with the brand book.
Although 132 and 134 were present, alas 133 was missing.
According to The McCallum Saga, 1893 was also remembered for “The Great Flood,” stemming from devastating, torrential rainfall that raged for twenty one days straight. Storms beat down on southern California with a fury that has never been equalled. No one can deny the desert is a land of extremes. The Great Flood was followed by eleven years of drought.
John S. Brown, author of Routes to Desert Watering Places in the Salton Sea Region, California, published in 1920, was quoted in David G. Thompson’s book titled Mohave Desert Region, California: a Geographic, Geologic, and Hydrologic Reconnaissance, published in 1929 “…to the right is the road to the resort town of Desert Hot Springs; farther along, to the left, is the road to Mission Creek and the T-K Ranch. In this area, the road crosses the Metropolitan aqueduct, carrying water from the Colorado River to Los Angeles…”
Mr. Brown continued, “In January, 1918, a board sign directed along this road to the T-K ranch, 1 3/4 miles away, the old road entered the canyon, passing through the foothills of the San Bernardino and Little San Bernardino Mountains.” Note the differences in spelling of the ranch.
According to General Land Office Records, the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management issued a serial patent to Frank W. DeLong on January 6, 1919 in Section 18, Township 002s, Range 004E in Riverside County for 161.29 acres. SP Land Co. (Southern Pacific) owned land in Section 19, along with other land. Its primary role was to manage and sell land, including lands that were granted to the railroad. Records indicate F. W. DeLong also acquired an additional 41.35 acres nearby in 1925.
Riverside County formed from parts of San Bernardino County and San Diego County. San Bernardino County archivist, Genevieve Preston, informed us there were 26 different books in which someone could record a property record before 1926. She explained it should ideally be in both the index for Deeds, as well as the Land Patent Book. It appears De Long is the first person to patent the land as per the BLM, Bureau of Land Management, which has about 98 percent of the land patents on their online site.
R.T. Hill, author of Southern California Geology and Los Angeles Earthquakes, published in 1928, commented that “The eastward continuation of the Mill Creek Fault passes by the little Indian reservation marked ‘Hog Ranch’ on the southeast corner of the San Bernardino topographic map of the United States Geological Survey.”
How did the the T Cross K Ranch get its name? We initially surmised the letter T came from the Talmadge brothers, cattle barons from the I S Ranch in Big Bear Valley who also owned a great deal of land in Whitewater because of the time frame, however we have located no substantiating documents to support that hunch.
It is more likely the “T” came from John Thomas, a Native American who was murdered in 1921 on the Mission Creek reservation next to the T Cross K over water rights. More about this later.
Was the ‘K’ for Kitching? Kitching Peak above Cabazon was named for Ammon Platt Kitching, a wealthy Boston wool merchant. Engineer Frank Elwood Brown interested Kitching in his plan to finance a Dam in Bear Valley in 1884 which helped develop the Redlands area and created an 1,800 acre Big Bear Lake.
Or perhaps the K designation belonged to Gus Knight, an early settler in Big Bear Valley who owned The Pipes in 1910, and ranged his cattle there. The Pipes, located at Pipes Canyon, was a water stop for the hundreds of cattle during twice a year cattle drives when cowboys guided cattle to their winter pastures from the mountains to the desert for summer pastures and vice versa. We will continue to research official records to solve the mystery.
T Cross K owner Frank DeLong was often a frequent character mentioned in the Desert Sentinel‘s colorful weekly columns from Yerxa’s book of the same title, On the Desert Since 1913, recalling 280 of Yerxa’s bountiful adventures.
For instance, in Article 106 (published July 23, 1953) Cabot wrote about how Frank DeLong, who originated from the “T-cross-K Ranch” and he liked to signal each other by means of large colored cloths on a 50-foot line, or with lights at night. The distance between them was 11 miles, but using strong binoculars made it possible. Cabot recalled he often helped Frank with hay and cattle at his ranch when an extra hand was needed.
Desert Sentinel, April 15, 1954.
In Article 110 (published August 20, 1953) Cabot wrote that Frank DeLong from Mission Canyon had a forge and many tools. He added although Frank was a typical cowboy, he was also mechanically-minded and liked to tinker with automobiles. One day Frank bought a Ford in Banning and wanted to know what made it run, so he took it apart and reassembled it.
Riverside County Voter Registration 1900-1914.
- In 1907, homesteader Hilda Gray established her claim in what would later become Desert Hot Springs, making her one of its pioneers.
- The Gray Precinct polling place was also located at a schoolhouse, suggesting a connection between the election district and the local homesteading community.
- Another key figure, C. A. Yerxa, was a judge of the Gray Precinct election board in 1916. His brother, Cabot Yerxa, discovered the hot and cold mineral springs in 1913, which ultimately led to the founding of Desert Hot Springs.
The Banning Record Thu, Apr 23, 1914 ·Page 2
The Banning Record, May 2, 1918.
The Banning Record, Jan 9, 1919.
Frank DeLong’s WW1 Draft Card, 1917-1918.
Desert Sentinel, Nov 11, 1954.
Frank DeLong was involved in a fatal one vehicle accident on Jan 29, 1920. His passenger, an elderly Banning pioneer, James St. Marie, lost his life when DeLong sped around a corner into a pot hole, dislodging St. James from the back of the truck. St. James, originally from France, had lived in Banning for 40 years and had seen the Old West when Banning was still on the frontier.
The Banning Record, Jan 29, 1920, pg. 1.
The following month, Frank DeLong was in The Banning Record again, this time talking about oil prospecting in the Mission Creek area. It was a sign of things to come.
Water would continue to be a recurrent theme for the rest of T Cross K’s lifetime and eventually lead to accusations of murder the following year.
A newspaper article five months later, in July 1920, revealed a Painted Hills oil site planned to haul water from DeLong’s ranch. It continued by saying if water was not struck in the oil well for a few hundred feet, a pipe line would be run from the ranch to the drilling camp.
The Banning Record, Feb 12, 1920, pg. 1.
The Banning Record, July 8, 1920, pg 1.
According to The Riverside Chronicles published by the Riverside County Heritage Association in Issue No. 18 (Spring 2018), Audrey Moe of the Desert Hot Springs Historical Society wrote an article about convicted murderer Bill Keys of Keys Ranch, now part of Joshua Tree National Park.
Keys claimed Frank DeLong murdered John Kitchen also known as “Injun John”, at the Mission Creek house in the early 1920s. The article concluded that such colorful tales were oftentimes the grist of rumor mills because neither side could be proven.
Ironically, Keys was later accused of murdering his own neighbor, Worth Bagley, over water rights in 1943. After serving five years in prison, Key’s attorney, Earle Stanley Gardner of Perry Mason fame, won an appeal for his release on the basis of self defense.
Perhaps Keys had his names mixed up but he wasn’t wrong about a murder at Mission Creek two decades earlier. On June 9, 1921, The Banning Record published a front-page article titled ‘Indian John Thomas Murdered.’
This is where we first hear of John Thomas’ name and a possible connection to the T Cross K, assuming the ranch was already named when DeLong made his homesteading claim. We are still working on this hypothesis.
Thomas, born in 1860, was a native resident of the Mission Creek reservation, whose body was riddled with bullets by an unknown assassin the week prior. The 61-years old man was well-known for guarding Indian water rights there.
According to a California State Volume Patent (Document 2730, page 406), John Thomas had paid cash for 40 acres in Section 4 on January 19, 1891. Despite his supposed nickname of “Injun John” that Keys used decades later, it did not record Thomas as a tribal citizen. DeLong later homesteaded in Section 18, adjacent to Thomas.
A further search at the Robert J. Fitch Archives in Riverside, California, revealed John Thomas registered his cattle brand of “JT” on September 29, 1904 confirming he was a cattleman. His leather brand was located in Cattle Brands Box No.1 as B-38.
The Banning Record, June 9, 1921, pg 1.
Thomas’ body was discovered by Art Armentrout, manager of the Painted Hills Oil Association, when he went to the property to see why the water which customarily supplied the oil well had mysteriously been cut off. Constable De Crevecoer was contacted. Although past tensions between disputing parties over water rights were noted as circumstantial evidence, the murder remained unsolved.
The newspaper described Thomas as a Zanjero at Mission Creek Intake. The title of Zanjero is a Spanish word, meaning someone who maintains a zanja (water trench or ditch). The position originally involved the maintenance and management of the trenches, such as Zanja Madre, which brought Los Angeles its water.
Riverside_Daily_Press_1921_06_06_4
Authorities didn’t nab the slayer, but in their investigation stumbled upon a hidden moonshine still operated over a pressure gasoline stove inside a cave hidden by brush along with five barrels of mash. The illegal still was hooked up to a Painted Hills water line by unknown parties. The discovery was turned over to the federal prohibition department.
Riverside_Daily_Press_1921_06_20_4
The_Banning_Record_1921_06_16_1
Seven years later a more detailed article in the Riverside Daily Press reported the same brutal murder of an Indian named John Thomas on the Mission Creek Reservation, having occurred in 1921.
Thomas was shot from behind while sitting on a hill near his house. Although wounded in the head, he ran to his house only to find someone had set bushes nearby ablaze to divert him away.
This forced Thomas to run a quarter of a mile down a dry wash from his attacker, but he was shot again, this time in his side. The attacker continued shooting during the pursuit until Thomas was shot in the shoulder several more times.
Four days later, Sheriff De Crevecoer followed a blood trail that led to Thomas’ deceased body. The case went unsolved and the feud over water rights continued.
If the name Sheriff De Crevecoer sounds familiar, it should. He led the posse who tracked accused Chemehuevi murderer and kidnapper Willie Boy during the Last Great Western Manhunt in 1909.
In 1926, a conference held in Riverside by District Attorney Albert Ford, Supervisor Harvey Johnson of Banning, Frank DeLong and Indian Agent C. L. Lewis, concerning a Department of Interior surveyor re-surveying the Mission Creek Indian Reservation for the purposes of determining the right of way for a road which woud be taken over by the county as a public highway.
Riverside Daily Press, April 26, 1926.
While Native Americans weren’t granted citizenship until 1924, their voting and religious rights were severely restricted for decades after.
In 1928, Steve Kitchen was experiencing similar harassment as Thomas had from white neighbors, again over water rights. Neighbors refused to let Kitchen use the road to his house that had been used for forty years, forcing Kitchen to climb over many fences to his property, which was frequently sabotaged. Records did not indicate any land patents under his name.
Mrs. H.A. Atwood, a staunch Native American advocate, promised to investigate. Frank DeLong was Kitchen’s nearest neighbor at the T Cross K Ranch. Despite what Keys later alleged, we are not implying DeLong was the culprit in either case.
Riverside Daily Press, July 23, 1928, pg 5.
Also in July 1928, The San Bernardino Sun reported the T Cross K Ranch was sold to Norman Farra. The newspaper reported Frank DeLong and a local Native American named Steve Kitchen (b. 25 Dec 1881, d. 11 Jul 1947) had been feuding over water rights for some years. It did not mention John Thomas.
At the time, T Cross K had about a dozen cabins, a large ranch house, and a swimming pool. Farra filed for bankruptcy in the mid-1930s.
Riverside Daily Press, Jul 25, 1928, page 4.
Farra served as a director on the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce in 1930. Farra had already made a reputation for himself as a equine guide, horse trainer, and even a chariot racer in a thrilling half mile race on what is presently Highway 111 in front of the former El Mirador Hotel. It later became Desert Regional Medical Center after it became a military hospital in 1942.
Riverside_Daily_Press_1928_12_03_3
Farra planned on improving the property and establishing T Cross K as a dude ranch, managed by an expert, with a fine string of horses for use by the guests. The Farra brothers were said to be on very good terms with local Indians. The DeLongs went on a trip to Oregon after the sale.
By 1929, Riverside County property records listed Farra as the property owner. Despite his good intentions, a spate of bad luck seemed to follow Farra on his new venture.
Frank DeLong and his wife Estelle D. were recorded in the 1930 United States Federal Census as living in Los Angeles District 5086 along with two male boarders. All the men claimed to be boaters and pleasure fishermen.
Riverside_Daily_Press_1931_06_12_14
A civil court case called Burnam v. Delong commenced in February, 1930, by Ralph S. Bliss and wife, as plaintiffs, to foreclose a mortgage on real property. In September, 1926, defendants Frank W. DeLong and Estelle D. DeLong executed and delivered to plaintiffs a promissory note for $3,000, secured by a mortgage. They defaulted in payment of principal and interest.
In addition to these defendants, other defendants were sued by fictitious names. Summons and complaint were duly served on the DeLongs and they defaulted. Defendants Norman Farra and Hilda M. Gray, sued by fictitious names, were likewise served. Defendant Gray filed an answer in propria persona and claimed some interest in the property. Norman Farra did not appear and his default was entered.
The default matter was heard on February 27, 1931. There is no record showing that defendant Gray was ever served with notice of trial. The minutes of the court of February 27, 1931, show that “This cause coming on regularly at this time for trial … and no one appearing on behalf of defendants, default as to defendants DeLong is hereby ordered entered.” The final judgment provided for the sale of the property under foreclosure proceedings by a commissioner and for a deficiency judgment against the DeLongs. We’ll circle back to this case later.
In February 1933, Farra was the victim of a check forger for the amount of $15 dollars. It turned out to be his own book keeper, Duke Montgomery, a repeat criminal offender, who was later sentenced “up the river” to San Quentin.
Riverside Daily Press, Feb 15, 1933 ·Page 4.
Farra’s large horse barn in Palm Springs burned down in March 1933.
Riverside_Daily_Press_1933_03_25_13
By 1934, Farra filed for bankruptcy and began auctioning real and personal property.
The_Desert_Sun_1934_12_21_7
Bonus located at the Riverside County Archives on 10/28/2025, Steve Kitchen registered his cattle brand on June 8, 1935 in Book No. 1 of Brands on page 161.
According to the United States Federal Census in 1940, 45 years old Steve, his wife Isabella, their seven children and one granddaughter were living together in San Gorgonio. Voter registrations said he lived in Whitewater and Mission Creek.
Public Auction Notice, The_Desert_Sun_1937_11_19_7
Despite a rash of bad juju for its former owner, the T Cross K Guest Ranch continued its success and was advertised in local newspapers.
At that time, a local well driller and oilman in the Coachella Valley, named John “J.R.” Holliday (b. 22 May 1914, d. 30 Oct 2000), managed the ranch. In an April 1935 article in The San Bernardino Sun, JR was referred to as the owner of T Cross K.
Perhaps to distance himself from the more famous John “Doc” Holliday of Tombstone fame of no kinship whatsoever, J.R. Holliday appeared to be doing well and the ranch was a popular attraction in the Coachella Valley.
The Desert Sun, Jan 28,1938, pg 6.
Riverside Daily Press, March 3, 1938, page 8
Water management disputes continued to take center stage. In March 25, 1939, the Palm Springs Limelight News reported one of the state’s water authorities, Alvah Hicks, gave a passionate opening address at the Lions Club lunch. Hicks stated contrary to general belief, he and an associate filed homestead claims on 35 miner’s inches of water in Mission Creek in 1915, where T Cross K Ranch was located.
Hicks and his associate envisioned an Eden. Mission Creek soon proved to be an irregular water supply and the property became more like hell. Initially there was a fine stream of water but by 1917, the creek began to dry up. In a few years, the water disappeared altogether.
Hicks explained a miner’s inch in southern California meant a constant flow of water of 9 gallons per minute, but in northern California, it meant a constant flow of 11 gallons a minute. 50 miner’s inches is one second foot of water and an acre foot is 43,560 cubic feet of water.
By 1917, Hicks had to haul water and pay 50 cents a barrel for the privilege. He emphasized water belonged to the state but the first man to put it to beneficial use may have it as long as the benefit continued.
Palm Springs Limelight News March 25, 1939, page 2.
Hicks claimed that water in the Whitewater river has probably been the cause of more fighting and litigation than any other water in this part of the country.
In 1856, Whitewater Ranch owned the first 150 miner’s inches.
The next 80 inches was owned by Nellie N. Coffman, co-founder of the Desert Inn, and the water right had been used since 1884.
The next water right of 65 inches was owned by Warner Ranch and had been established since 1907.
The last right was owned by P.T. Stevens, then known as the the Whitewater Mutual Water Company since 1913, for 500 inches.
Palm Springs Limelight News March 25, 1939, page 10.
The next day, The Desert Sun of Palm Springs, California published an article about the same meeting. Hicks had wryfully joked, “Water is a funny thing. When you think you have it, you haven’t.”
Another document citing Frank W. DeLong is also available on the Bureau of Land Management site, dated January 6, 1943 that reads: “WHEREAS, a Certificate of the Register of the Land Office at Los Angeles, California, has been deposited in the General Land Office, whereby it appears that, pursuant to the Act of Congress of May 20, 1862, To Secure Homesteads to Actual Settlers on the Public Domain, and the acts supplemental thereto, the claim Frank W. De Long has been established and duly consummated, in conformity to law, for the north half of the northeast quarter and the north half of the Lots one and two of the northwest quarter of Section eighteen in Township two south of Range four east of the San Bernardino Meridian, California, containing one hundred sixty-one and twenty-nine hundred acres,” signed by President Woodrow Wilson, reiterating DeLong’s original 1919 land patent after its sale to Farra.
Mr. Hicks passed away on 3 Mar 1944 and is buried at Welwood Murray Cemetery in Palm Springs.
Photo courtesy of Pomona Public Library.
According to the November 2006 issue of the Morongo Historical Society Newsletter, field trip leader Caroline Conway told members that Mission Creek had a string of glamorous visitors during the Depression years and beyond who escaped the hubbub of Palm Springs to the solitude of the remote riparian wonderland.
The river rock cottages at T Cross K Ranch once housed Hollywood luminaries such as Harpo Marx, Grace Kelly, Humphrey Bogart and others who enjoyed a respite from the stress of urbana.
The four stone cabins are roofless at the entrance of Mission Creek Preserve and contain shaded concrete picnic tables near a dry fountain, former swimming pool and tall stone fireplace.
Complete with a babbling brook, everything is within an easy walking distance from the parking lot. The awe inspiring Mount San Gorgonio –one of the tallest peaks in California– stands as a silent but proud sentinel in the distance.
Riverside Daily Press, Jan 1, 1951.
By the 1950s, we find that the T Cross K Guest Ranch had undergone a name change by its lease owners, Jack and his registered nurse wife, Jerry Wilkenson, but remained a popular guest ranch.
By consent, T. W. Burnam and his wife Aletha K. Burnam were substituted as plaintiffs and respondents in the aforementioned 1930 case of Civ. No. 3459. Fourth Dist. Sept. 23, 1947, Burnam v. DeLong.
On July 3, 1946, the trial judge denied defendants’ motion to set aside the judgement based on a nunc pro tunc order in 1945 which corrected a clerical error. By the last clause of the original judgment Hilda Gray was foreclosed from claiming any parcel of the property, or any right, title or interest therein.
T Cross K owner Thompson W. Burnam, wealthy inventor of a fog nozzle that became standard fire fighting equipment, spent $600,000 on improvements in 1952 on the 250 acre property to make accommodations for 26 people.
Desert Sentinel, May 22, 1952.
Desert Sentinel, June 19, 1952.
In early 1952, a local newspaper article deemed it “King Saul Guest Ranch” but advertisements later that same year referred to it as “King SOL Guest Ranch.”
Its Grand Opening took place on August 16, 1952. Ads in local papers claimed Bessie, the ranch’s cook, whipped up dinners that couldn’t be topped.
Thom Burnam suddenly passed away in June, 1954.
Thom’s wife, Aletha Burnam was a Desert Hot Springs socialite and president of the Desert Hot Springs Women’s Club and threw lavish parties for the elite at the T Cross K.
Desert Sentinel, May 26, 1955.
The Desert Sun, June 9, 1955.
Then a little family drama became public when an article published in The San Francisco
Examiner newspaper in August 1957 titled ‘Disinherited Girl Sues for $750,000.
The story stated 19-year-old Mary Ann Burnam claimed she was disinherited by Thompson W.
Burnam, who was legally adjudged as her father and due to a daughter’s share of
Burnam’s $750,000 estate.
Also pending in a suit by Mrs. Helen Burnam to set aside on the grounds of fraud that
Thompson W. Burnam concealed his wealth, the annulment of her marriage to Burnam. It
was her fifth amended complaint on a rejected claim against the estate.
Still an attraction to the elite and health-minded, the Ranch apparently reverted back to its former name of T Cross K. An ad in the local paper in March, 1960 sought to sell 25 French windows, a 10 KW diesel, horse trailer and other items.
The T Cross K remained in operation until May 1, 1960, when a fire destroyed the two main buildings, leaving only the fireplace and the walls of four stone cabins. Five fire units fought the blaze for 8 hours. The fire damage totaled $42,000 dollars. It was attributed to faulty electrical wiring.
Desert Sentinel, May 5, 1960, Page 1.
Six months later, widow Mrs. Burnam eloped to Las Vegas and married Dudley Walters, a professional horse racing gambler.
They had a lavish wedding reception at Highlanders Restaurant in Desert Hot Springs on January 15, 1961, which was attended by over 250 guests.
The Desert Sun, Jan 18, 1961, pg 9.
Desert Sentinel, Jan 20, 1961, pg 7.
In October 1962, new T Cross K owners George Ackerman and Pat Blakemore reincarnated the T Cross K into a western-styled Frontierland.
The Desert Sun, Oct 5, 1962.
The_Desert_Sun_Nov 9, 1962_
The Desert Sun, Fri, Nov 09, 1962.
In December 1962, the Daily Record reported the T Cross K guest ranch had been recently used for convalescing airmen from the Santa Ana Air Base.
The Desert Sun, Nov 12, 1962.
Daily Record, December 22, 1962.
In 1964, the T Cross K was mentioned by name when the Department of Interior published a study called A Reconnaissance of the Geology and Water Resources of the Mission Creek Indian Reservation, Riverside County, California by P. W. Giessner.
Page 24 stated, “Off the reservation, ground water is discharged by pumping wells at the T-Cross-K Ranch. Little is known about the actual yield of these wells, and, at the time of this investigation, only one domestic well was being used. An unknown quantity of ground water also presumably discharges out of the area as underflow in the alluvium-filled channel below the T-Cross-K Ranch.”
Water samples from the T Cross K well and two springs concluded the concentrations of fluoride, sulfate, and total dissolved solids were above the maximum values allowed for drinking water for use by interstate carriers as defined by the U.S. Department of Health, Education ; and Welfare, Public Health Service (1962, p. 7-8). Water obtained from the well was of somewhat better quality than that from the springs but treatment was still recommended.
The Desert Sentinel noted a water study at the T Cross K water was mentioned at a county water board meeting in October 1965. The study concluded it would not be feasible to drill for water at that site.
Desert Sentinel, Oct 14, 1965.
So whatever happened to the T Cross K Ranch, you may ask. Per Bureau of Land Management records, 387.11 acres in addition to 342.88 acres were sold to DC Land Company on April 3, 1986.
According to The Desert Sun on August 12, 1997, McKesson Water Products Company, the largest bottled water company in America based in Pasadena, California, graciously donated 2,300 acres along the Mission Creek watershed to the Nature Conservancy.
Riverside County had approved development of the land for condominiums, a hotel and golf course before MWPC bought out another company thirty years prior. MWPC wasn’t interested in property development. The donation was one of the largest ever made to the conservancy in California.
MWPC produced Sparkletts Drinking Water and other products and merged with Danone, a French multinational food-products corporation in 2000. Primo Brands is the new parent company that owns Sparklett Water since 2024.
The Desert Sun, Tue, Aug 12, 1997 ·Page 1
The Desert Sun, Tue, Aug 12, 1997 ·Page 6
The ranch became the property of the Wildlands Conservancy, the largest private non-profit landowner in California, that operates the Mission Creek Preserve to this day. It’s doubtful the former owners ever imagined the ranch would someday be part of something called the Sand to Snow National Monument. But how did it all come about?
You see, way back in 1994 under the California Desert Protection Act, conservation of the San Gorgonio wilderness was increased to 38,000 acres, allowing the creation of Mission Creek Preserve. In 2004, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, a strong proponent for the Desert Protection Act, was the guest speaker at Mission Creek Preserve for a gathering to celebrate the Act’s tenth anniversary.
By December of 2010, Senator Feinstein introduced a 170-page bill called the California Conservation Act of 2010 which fleshed out previous conservation acts for consideration to the Senate Energy and State Resources Committee, seeking to balance beauty and growth.
Spurred by conservation groups such as the Sierra Club, Wildlands Conservancy, Mojave Desert Land Trust, Defenders of Wildlife, The Center for Biological Diversity and Friends of the Desert Mountains, Senator Feinstein took further action. Come 2015, the Senator urged President Obama to create national monuments.
In February 2016, invoking the 1906 Antiquities Act, President Obama via executive order authorized the creation of the Sand to Snow National Monument, which encompasses Mission Creek Preserve, thrilling conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts who had long fought for the beloved landscapes be protected from development.
The Sand to Snow National Monument stretches from the desert floor near Palm Springs to the peak of San Gorgonio, comprising 154,000 acres. The Mojave Trails Monument is larger, spanning 1.6 million acres and surrounding historic Route 66, between Mojave National Preserve and Joshua Tree National Park.
However, in September 2018, the Desert Hot Springs City Council voted 4-1 and approved Adkan Engineering to build Mission Creek Trails, a 481-acre development which could include almost 2,000 homes, commercial space, a park and walking trails if fully built out.
The project, which has come before the council in different iterations, sits on the west side of Highway 62 at the entrance to Mission Creek Preserve and Sand to Snow National Monument. In October 2018, conservation groups filed a lawsuit against the proposed project. The project area is home to imperiled wildlife, including the burrowing owl and Palm Springs pocket mouse.
Cholla cactus and Mojave yucca dot the desert landscape at the preserve entrance while a single crag of the San Jacinto mountains splits the horizon.
The moderate eight-mile trek one way from the entrance of the Mission Creek Preserve parking lot, adjacent to the remains of the T Cross K, to the Whitewater Preserve has a 1,300-feet elevation gain and one of the best spring flower displays following a wet winter, and great views of Mount San Gorgonio.
The Mission Creek Subbasin is located within the Coachella Valley Groundwater Basin, which also includes the San Gorgonio Pass, Indio, and Desert Hot Springs Subbasins. The three water agencies in the Mission Creek Subbasin – Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD), Desert Water Agency (DWA), and Mission Springs Water District (MSWD) – are collaborating to manage the Mission Creek Subbasin.
The ranch, in its heyday, sported a wading pool and fountain in addition to the standard fare of dude ranches everywhere, horseback riding.
In August 2023, the remnants of Hurricane Hilary caused significant damage to portions of the Pacific Crest Trail within Sand to Snow National Monument. The damage in the affected stretch from mile 216 to 241 particularly impacted the Whitewater and especially Mission Creek drainages.
Reports indicated that the most significant impacts to travel were in the upper portion of North Fork Mission Creek on mile 235-238 and proposed significant safety risks. Mission Creek may catch northbound PCT hikers off guard because it’s the first significant waterway to navigate on the trail. Always check on local conditions before you go.
If you want to hike further into Mission Creek Preserve, and we hope you do, you will find the spacious “Stone House” just one and a half miles from the picnic area down a scenic trail, mostly next to the creek.
The stone house re-opened after damaging floods during an El Niño year eroded the road in 2018-19. California and the West (excluding the Pacific Northwest) saw above-average precipitation during that period.
The rock strewn trail is rated moderate. Closed toe shoes are recommended.
Seeing blooming wildflowers in December is always a nice surprise following a few seasonal showers earlier in the month.
It’s fun identifying the many resident and migrating birds in the area. Dogs are allowed on leash.
Wildlands Conservancy accepts group reservations 48 hours in advance for tent camping and use of the house. There are clean facilities and potable water on site. You will be able to drive past the gate for the 1.6 miles from the parking lot to the Stone House.
You can hike two more miles past the stone house to reach the Pacific Crest Trail, which spans from Mexico to Canada. The PCT runs up Mission Creek, through San Gorgonio Wilderness and Sand to Snow National Monument, from about mile 226 to mile 240. Keep in mind the Mission Creek section washes out regularly. Know before you go.
So there you have it, folks. Scandal, intrigue, and politics. Nothing’s as simple as it appears on its surface, that’s for sure. We suggest you put all that aside, and let the desert work its magic on you.
Breathe in that fresh air, listen to the trickling of Mission Creek, maybe even watch a hawk or two soar thru the sky, but above all drink in that precious commodity called silence.
Let your mind drift and know that at least for right now, this very special spot on the planet will live on to infinitum thanks to the diligent efforts of champions behind the scenes. It will renew your spirit and bring you peace.
Coordinates: 34.002234°N, -116.6139018°W
Approx. Elevation: 2,152 feet (656 meters)
Mission Creek Preserve is open to the public free of charge seven days a week from dawn until dusk.
Endorsements
On September 8, 2025, Frazier Haney, Executive Director of the Wildlands Conservancy, wrote: “What a great slice of history!” (email)
On September 9, 2025, Kerry Puckett, Preserve Manager Mission Creek & Pioneertown Mountains Preserves, wrote: “Honestly, your story is one of the most comprehensive bits on Mission Creek that I’ve come across.” (email)
On September 12, 2025, Ranger Alex Cuellar, wrote: “As Kerry already said, your writings are some of the best write ups on Mission Creek and something we often let guests know about. I really enjoy finding historical information about our preserves like I did when I stumbled across The Desert Way.” (email)
On October 31, 2025, Sue Swafford wrote: “I’m the secretary of the [Desert Hot Springs] historical society…Our archivist is Marge Snell and I ran this by her. We were both impressed by the depth and width of your research.” (email)
Directions
From Interstate 10 past the Highway 111 turnoff, exit Highway 62 toward Yucca Valley then proceed 5.5 miles to Mission Creek Road (see the small green sign on right)… turn left on Mission Creek Road and follow it approximately 5 miles on a two lane dirt road to the gate.
Top Photo by John Earl, 2019.
Last Updated: November 11, 2025.
References
Ainsworth, Katherine, The McCallum Saga, The Story of the Founding of Palm Springs, published by The Palm Springs Desert Museum,1973.
Crevecoeur-Erickson, Zoe, Caught Dead to Rights, The Biography of Ben de Crevecoeur, A Real Western Lawman, published 2009.
Desert Hot Springs, Desert Hot Springs Historical Society, Images of America, 2014, pgs 91-93.
O’Neal, Lulu Rasmussen, A Peculiar Piece of Desert, the Story of California’s Morongo Basin, Los Angeles: Westernlore Press, 1957.
Indian John Thomas Murdered, The Banning Record, Anon., June 9, 1921, page 1.
King Sol Guest Ranch Ad, Desert Sentinel, 21 August 1952.
T Cross K Guest Ranch Ad, Los Angeles Times, Anon., 17 December 1937.
Montgomery, Ed, Disinherited Girl Sues for $750,000, The San Francisco Examiner, 17 August 1957.
Mrs. Aletha Burnam, President of Desert Hot Springs Women’s Club, The Desert Sun, 1 December 1956.
Burnam Marriage Announcement, Desert Sentinel, Anon., 2 December 1960.
Giessner, P.W., A Reconnaissance of the Geology and Water Resources of the Mission Creek Indian Reservation, Riverside County, California, page 24. https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1964/0059/report.pdf
Haberman, Douglas, Conservancy Gets 2300-acre Donation, The Desert Sun, Tue, Aug 12, 1997 ·Page 1 and Page 6.
Seburn, Margaret, Riverside Woman Seeks to Unravel Mystery of Desert Indian’s Trials, Daily Press, July 23, 1928, page 5.
Burnam v. DeLong (1930) https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2d/81/559.html
Holliday, J.R., T Cross K Guest Ranch Ad, Desert Magazine, 1938.
Mission Creek Preserve https://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_missioncreek.html
Mission Creek Preserve https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Creek_Preserve
Mission Creek Subbasin http://www.missioncreeksubbasinsgma.org/
Sale of Ranch Solves Problem, anon, Riverside Daily Press, Jul 25, page 4, 1928.
Whitewater and Mission Creek Closures https://www.pcta.org/discover-the-trail/closures/southern-california/damage-whitewater-mission-creeks/
Desert Hot Springs OK’s California Homes Near Sand to Snow Monument, The Desert Sun https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/desert-hot-springs/2018/09/20/desert-hot-springs-oks-california-homes-near-sand-snow-monument/1364234002/
Hemmerlein, Sandi, Where to Explore the Coachella Valley Outdoors (Before It Gets Too Hot) https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/socal-wanderer/where-to-explore-the-coachella-valley-outdoors-before-it-gets-too-hot PBS SoCal.
Mission Creek Trails https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/Mission-Creek-Trails-10-25-2018.php
Copyright © 2019 Jay L. Earl, John Earl. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. This publication is a work of nonfiction. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. The author and publisher shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features that appear in this book are the property of their respective owners, and the use of such names without mention of trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.
Never knew that was there. Thanks for the information. I will visit soon.
Gary J. George
Thank you, Karl. Noted in our article.
I did classes here once for Aerie First responder when I was part of the SCA. BEST TIME OF MY LIFE.
Glad to hear, Casey. Keep up the good work!
Nice article.
I’ve read a bit about Kitching. He used to stock the upper ponds by horseback. There was also a killing up there involving water rights. I think it was Sparkletts that bought it and donated it to the Conservancy. A friend and I installed the slats on the cottages. They came from Rancho Rios and were originally used to prop up apples. I did a little work on the stone house and helped plant trees back there as well. Gone into Whitewater, He’ll for sure canyon and Northfork. Came out there once from Forest Falls.
Good read. Thank you.
Very interesting information, Terry! Thanks so much for sharing.
Wonderful brought back so many so much My grandfather was John Holiday
He and Grandma were care takers for a number yrs and I spent time with them
Have pic of me from birth till 6/7of age Such great
Wow! That’s amazing, Cheryl! We’re so glad you enjoyed our article. We would love to see old photos of the ranch you may have.
Thanks for the great history of this great place. We spent New Years there and had a wonderful time camping and enjoying a spectacular hike. It’s kept up so nicely! Lots of love and caring by the Wildlands Conservancy.
We concur! We’re so glad you enjoy it as much as we do.
Thanks for this amazing write up. I live nearby and take my children here and we loved seeing what the fireplace and houses used to look like.
It is an amazing place, Candace. Discoveries like this inspire us too.