Indio, the Coachella Valley’s largest city (with a population of about 95,000), came into being because of its precise location—halfway between Los Angeles and Yuma, perfect for the railroad.
In March 1872, surveyors hired by the Southern Pacific Railroad arrived in the area seeking a midpoint watering and depot site. They found what they thought was the only oasis on the desert floor and initially called it Apostle Palms, as there were 12 large palm trees at the oasis. The oasis was a winter home to a band of Cahuilla Indians.
To encourage the construction of a southern transcontinental railroad, the U.S. government had deeded alternate sections of land to the railroad. This ideal location, with water that could be pumped, was quickly established as the central desert landing.
Work on the railroad began thereafter, and a small village emerged. They originally called the depot Indian Wells, but soon discovered that name was already on maps marking a small well and camping spot about five miles to the west. So in 1877, they changed the name to Indio, meaning Indian in Spanish.
Trains began running through the area in 1876. Along with a maintenance roundhouse and water tank, the railroad had built a few small sheds and some temporary housing for the workers.
The first permanent building in Indio, the Southern Pacific Depot Station and Hotel, was completed in 1880. Serving both the railroad crews and passengers who began crossing the desert, the hotel/restaurant alongside the tracks became the center of social life. By 1896, the population of Indio was 96, mostly men who worked on the railroad.
One of those early arrivals, the industrious Albert Garner (A.G.) Tingman, became known as the “Father of Indio.” Tingman began as a railroad construction boss in 1877 and became the depot’s telegrapher and station agent in 1883. Tingman built Indio’s first store (General Merchandise Store) just northwest of the depot in 1885, and became Indio’s first postmaster in July 1888. He homesteaded and purchased 160 acres in 1891 and laid out the original Indio town site in 1894.
His most significant contribution—which led homesteaders, railroad engineers and others to settle there—was his drilling of a well next to his store. The abundance of water under the valley’s loamy soil would soon serve as the catalyst that sparked the area’s agricultural boom.
Within a year, others started tapping into the water supply with wells—some financed by Tingman, who strongly believed in the area’s possibilities. Homesteaders started taking up the available land and growing crops as more wells came into existence. By 1906, it was estimated that there were over 300 artesian wells in the valley.
The most successful crops initially exported via train to the east were cantaloupes and dates. By 1905, cantaloupes had become the chief crop of the valley. Tingman encouraged farmers to experiment with different crops, offering financial aid if needed.
Around the turn of the century, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent date palms from Algeria to the region, and in 1904, the USDA established a date experiment station near Mecca. The date went on to become a major crop for the Coachella Valley.
Indio was surveyed, with a town site map filed in 1888 with the San Diego County Recorder. In 1893, as part of the newly designated Riverside County, Indio became one of 12 townships.
When A.G. Tingman laid out the original Indio town site in 1894, he also built a corral for the townspeople, travelers and prospectors who began to arrive seeking riches in the nearby mountains. Tingman himself succumbed to “gold fever” and sold his store in 1903 to spend more time on mining trips.
Born in 1855 in Sacramento, Tingman and his wife, Harriet “Hattie,” also maintained a home near San Diego, where she spent much of the time. Tingman had several successful mining projects and ultimately died at his Full Moon Mine in March 1925. The “Father of Indio” was buried in San Diego.
Bolstered by the railroad, Indio continued to grow and became known as the Coachella Valley’s center of commerce. Along with passengers, trains brought supplies and groceries from Los Angeles. To ensure future growth, a more-secure water supply would be needed. The Coachella Valley Water District was formed in 1918, leading to the construction of the All-American Canal, which still brings Colorado River water to the valley.
In the late 1920s, U.S. Highway 99 opened through Indio, mostly paralleling the railroad tracks. Since then, California State Routes 111 and 86 were built through Indio, as was the busy Interstate 10.
Indio incorporated in 1930, becoming the valley’s first city, with a population of 1,875. Indio boomed during World War II, thanks to Gen. George Patton’s nearby desert training grounds. A jumping-off place for troops and equipment, Indio also hosted many visiting soldiers.
The Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians opened a small Indio Bingo Palace in 1991. It morphed over several expansions into the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino.
Today, Indio is known as the “City of Festivals,” hosting a glittering array of events. Foremost is the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held annually at the Empire Polo Club. Coachella is one of the most famous music festivals worldwide, attracting nearly 250,000 visitors over two April weekends.
Stagecoach, one of the nation’s premier country music festivals, is also at the Empire Polo Club; it spans three days and showcases both legendary and emerging Nashville stars.
The Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival is held in Indio each February. Along with the typical fair atmosphere of exhibits, rides and food, the fair celebrates the Coachella Valley’s date palm harvest.
Then there’s the International Tamale Festival in downtown Indio each December; 2026 will mark its 34th year. Along with dozens of booths offering tamales, there’s live entertainment and carnival rides.
Indio also hosts the Southwest Arts Festival, one of the country’s finest juried art festivals, featuring more than 200 artists from around the world. It is at the Empire Polo Club each January.
While the Indio Amtrak station closed in 1998, trains still rumble through Indio—which has grown well beyond the area where it all began, centered between Yuma and Los Angeles.
Sources for this article include Indio, by Patricia Baker Laflin, for the Coachella Valley Historical Society (Arcadia Publishing, 2008); “Indio Pioneer Helped Open CV to Settlement,” by Paul Wilhelm, Indio Daily News, March 17, 1983; and Coachella Valley’s Golden Years, by the Coachella Valley Water District, 1978.
