Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians

The Cahuilla people have inhabited the Martinez Canyon since the early 1800’s. In May of 1876 an Executive Order by President Ulysses S. Grant created the Torres and Martinez reservations. Under the Relief of Mission Indians Act of 1891, the Torres and Martinez reservations were combined. In December 1906, the U.S. Department of the Interior authorized funding for a new reservation school building. The new school building benefited tribal kids tremendously because it eliminated an eight-mile walk to the Thermal school. The school building and a small cottage (used as a teacher or agent residence) were finished in August 1907. Later, the school was used for religious services and tribal gathering.