It was a beautiful, yet scorching afternoon in Joshua Tree National Park a few weeks ago. My husband Tom and I had decided to take a short trip to the desert to escape at-home boredom. As usual, Tom had located an almost imperceptible spot on the map that he thought we should visit in the park – a place named Keys View.
We had no idea whether the five-mile drive up Keys View Road would lead to anything spectacular. To our surprise, we arrived at the park’s highest point, which is over 5,000 feet in elevation. Below us we could see the entire Coachella Valley, including the Salton Sea and the Indio-Palm Desert-Palm Springs area. It was breathtaking!
Keys View was named after a rancher, gold miner, and convict named William F. Keys. His real name was George Barth, but he changed it after homesteading land in what is now Joshua Tree National Park. Known as Bill by his associates, he murdered the local deputy sheriff over a land deal gone awry. Bill said that it was a matter of self-defense. The court didn’t go along with his line of thinking. Consequently, he spent time in San Quentin Prison, leaving behind his wife and many children. Later he was completely exonerated, due to the assistance of Erle Gardner, the author of the novels used for the old Perry Mason TV series. Bill Keys passed away in 1969, having become a local legend. For more information (Wikipedia seems to give the best summary), please click here.
I was able to photograph at the remaining buildings of Keys Ranch, about 1986 or 87. I didn’t know about the road to the top, though. I miss going to Joshua Tree.
That’s really cool, Monica. We have not been to the ranch, but hope to visit it the next time. Actually, we didn’t even know about the ranch until I started reviewing articles about Joshua Tree.
Very interesting story and lovely photos of you, especially, with the wind in your hair!
Phoebe and Lauren will appreciate this as they both love visiting and camping at Joshua Tree .
Thanks for sharing Karleen!
Looking forward to more !
Thanks, Kim. I think I do remember Andrea mentioning that your girls have been to Joshua Tree.
Very nice! You have a very easy-to-read writing style!
Thanks! I finetuned a lot of wording to the point of driving myself a little crazy.
That was an interesting read, Karleen, and the photos were great. Wishing continued success with your blog!
Thanks so much, Cathy. Tom took most of the pictures. He is my techie support.
Very enjoyable respite. Thanks for your detailed descriptions.
Thanks, Sue. You wouldn’t believe how many times I changed the wording and the pictures.
I have never been there and I found it very interesting and enlightening. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome. We have been there twice during the last year. The joshua trees and rock formations are always interesting to look at.