us for a special museum tour led by GO member Warner Graves who edited the book Postcards From Mecca featuring photos from his grandmother, Lula Graves. This is an incredible collection of rare photographs documenting the early days of the Coachella Valley and surrounding mountains.
Postcards from Mecca: The California Desert Photographs of Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves features photographs from cousins Susie Keef Smith and Lula Mae Graves who documented prospectors, burro packers, aqueduct surveyors and nomads in the desert east of California’s Salton Sea for postcard spinner racks. The exhibition presents portraits of a mysterious land, along with the story of its heroic chroniclers, self-taught documentary photographers of the 1920s and ’30s. Warner said he began to appreciate the same images on a “whole different level,” realizing they were snapshots of a part of California that hadn’t been well documented in that time period.
Learn how these photographic treasures where rescued and saved from destruction. Now, visitors to Postcards from Mecca can discover a fascinating history that was almost lost – a story of two intrepid women, an untapped desert wilderness, and their adventures within it.
Postcards from Mecca is based on the book edited by Ann Japenga and Warner V. Graves III, originated at the La Quinta Museum, and is traveled by Exhibit Envoy. Additional information The Desert Sun; Palm Springs Life
Part II, at a date to be determined, we will take a field trip to visit some of the historic sites documented in this series.
Optional visit to Pioneertown Town and lunch at Pappy and Harriet's, menu click here, after the tour - carpool accordingly. 
9:15 am - Meet at PetSmart Palm Springs, Ramon/Crossley map click here. You are responsible for arranging you own transportation or ride share. Distance to High Desert Museum on Hwy. 62 is 34 miles, approximately 45 minutes.
Or meet at Hi-Desert Nature Museum, 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA 92284 at 10 am.
Special COVID Related Requirements: This event requires all attendees to be fully vaccinated.
