Much has been made of downtown Indio’s resurgence as of late, with Fodor’srecently naming the city one of the top six places in the country to visit! And while I couldn’t be happier about the genuinely stellar new businesses popping up around town (The Place! Italica! Chicano Candle Co.! Gabino’s! Papa Headz! Rosemary HiFi! Indio Taphouse! Saguaro Coffee! Everbloom! — the list goes on and on!), I absolutely love seeking out vestiges of times past, especially retro signs.
Years ago, my husband and I were driving along Indio Boulevard when we happened upon a succession of four vintage motel signs all in a row. It was literal roadside nostalgia heaven, so we immediately pulled over and snapped about 100 pics. That stretch of road has held a special place in my heart ever since.
Read on for more about those signs — and a couple of others still standing around town — neon relics of Indio’s past peeking out amongst all the new.
XO, Lindsay
This 47-room tiki-themed lodging was built in 1965 by the infamous Ken Kimes (the prolific motelier behind Palm Springs’ Caliente Tropics and husband of murderous con woman Sante Kimes, aka the “Dragon Lady”). According to Palm Springs Tiki, the two signs out front are original — the neon lettering and glowing arrow (not pictured) still catching the eyes of passersby all these decades later. Little of the hotel itself has changed, either. Decorative rock walls and tiki statuettes remain, echoing a time when the Tropics was hailed as “a Polynesian oasis in the desert.”
Just up the street sits this 15-room inn, which first opened in 1948 as Rick’s Wagon Wheel Motel & Date Shop. Some of the decorative iron wheels from back in the day still dot the property, and the former date shack — though now closed — still stands, as well. According to Facebook chatter, Rick renamed the place “Ruta” in the 1970s in honor of his daughter. The towering “MOTEL” sign was likely added around the same time, its curling yellow arrow still calling out to passing motorists today, just as it did decades ago when roadside motels reigned supreme.
Not much is known about the history of this 39-room lodging beyond its 1961 construction and former membership in the Friendship Inns chain. But its two fabulously retro signs make it a standout amongIndio’s collection of roadside relics. The first (pictured) sits along the train tracks on Indio Boulevard (the old U.S. Route 99), designed to catch the eye of weary travelers and guide them to the tucked-away motel on Sun Gold Street. The second, all sharp angles and bold primary colors, towers above the lobby like a nostalgic beacon — the kind of retro landmark you can’t help but pull over and admire.
This local botanical boutique was founded way back in 1949 by Allen Willard, who first got into floral design as a high school teen and later owned both Palm Desert Florist and Rancho Mirage Florist. The unique comic-book-bubble-shaped sign atop the small one-story storefront was installed during the shop’s early days and still retains its historic charm. During a refurbishment a few years back, the current owner added a few pops of red, but otherwise it looks much as it did decades ago, a quaint relic of downtown Indio’s early days.
Perhaps Indio’s most famous sign of all, the towering knight in shining armor pointing the way to Shields Date Garden, has been a staple of the local landscape since it was installed in 1953. Rising 40 feet above Highway 111, the sign — known as the “Guardian of Quality” — has become a roadside attraction in and of itself, with visitors traveling far and wide to pose for photos alongside the chevalier. According to a 1983 Desert Sun article, the double shield emblazoned on the sign (which also serves as the company’s logo) symbolizes “the togetherness of the original owners, Floyd and Bess Shields.”