Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station
About this property
The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway in Palm Springs, California, is the largest rotating aerial tramway in the world. It was opened in September 1963 as a way of getting from the floor of the Coachella Valley to near the top of San Jacinto Peak and was constructed in rugged Chino Canyon. Before its construction, the only way to the top of the mountain was to hike hours from Idyllwild. The rotating cars were added in 2000. The approximately 10 minute ride begins at the Valley Station at 2,643 feet (806 m) above sea level and passes up a sheer mountain face through five life zones (biomes) on its way to the Mountain Station (coordinates: 33.8130°N 116.6385°W / 33.8130; -116.6385) at 8,516 feet (2,596 m) above sea level. Travelers start in the Colorado Desert and arrive in the alpine wilderness of Long Valley and Mount San Jacinto State Park. The air can be as much as 40 °F (22 °C) cooler at the top than in the desert. The floor of the 18-foot-diameter (5.5 m) aerial tram cars rotates constantly, making two complete revolutions throughout the duration of the journey so that the passengers can see in all directions without moving. The view at the top can stretch northward for more than 200 miles (320 km) on a clear day, all the way to Mount Charleston north of Las Vegas, Nevada. Views to the east and west can stretch as far as 75 miles (121 km). California's Salton Sea is plainly visible to the southeast. As it was in 1963, the only way up the mountain to deliver supplies and water is via the aerial tram cars themselves. Supplies are loaded into the passenger area before the attraction's opening while fresh water is pumped into storage tanks in the car's underbelly. The aerial tram was first proposed by electrical engineer Francis Freeman Crocker (1901-1992), during a 1935 trip to Banning, California with the Desert Sun newspaper publisher Carl Barkow. During the heat of the day, Crocker's gaze fell upon the snow-capped, 10,804-foot-high (3,293 m) peak of Mount San Jacinto to the east. Crocker then proposed building an aerial tram up the face of Chino Canyon, an idea that one newspaper dubbed "Crocker's Folly". Toward the end of the decade, Crocker named the co-manager of the Palm Springs Desert Inn, O. Earl Coffman, to chair the construction committee. Both World War II and the Korean War shelved the project, and construction finally began in 1960. The unprecedented use of helicopters in the construction of four of the aerial tram's five towers helped the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway earn a reputation as a great engineering feat. It was opened in September 1963. In 1965, the Tramway Gas Station was built at the foot of the road leading to the tramway. The gas station was designed by Albert Frey and Robson Chambers.
Location
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station
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Questions about this property
When was Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station listed on the National Register?
Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 27, 2015.
What type of historic resource is Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station?
Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station?
The period of significance for Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Palm Springs Tramway Valley Station will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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