Desert in Garage

 Uruguay > California > Riverside County > Palm Springs

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View of the Desert Inn garage, located in Palm Springs. The street shows several cars on the road, and a partial view of the Desert Inn garage on the right. Advertising on the front reads: "Buick Sales & Service", and "Tires, Tubes, Accessories".The Desert Inn was established in 1909 by village pioneers Dr. Harry Lee Coffman (1867-1935) and Nellie Norton Coffman (1867-1950), along with their two sons George Roberson, Jr. (Nellie's son from a previous marriage) and Owen Earl Coffman. The Desert Inn started as a sanitarium in the tiny, unincorporated town called Palm Springs, and was originally a place for those afflicted with tuberculosis. In 1914 Nellie decided a change was needed and she converted the business into a hotel. Dr. Harry was in disagreement and not at all happy with this decision, and he and Nellie eventually divorced. The good doctor soon left Palm Springs and practiced medicine in Coachella Valley, and later in San Diego County, where he passed away in 1935.