At Cabot’s Pueblo Museum, we strive to make connections to our community in various ways to honor and preserve Cabot Yerxa’s legacy of cultural respect, community, and art.
Cabot Yerxa before arriving to the Coachella Valley, he traveled to Alaska at the age of 16, to Europe at the age of 42 and returned and built Cabot’s Pueblo Museum at the age of 58. He built the museum using railroad crossed ties, telephone poles, wagon board, and adobe bricks manifesting the three R’s: reuse, recycle, and reduce. Among his many attributes, he was a visionary who cared about his community. Today, we honor Cabot’s legacy through our programs for our visitors and students.
In addition to touring the pueblo, visitors participate in our community programs, Day of the Dead (October 14, 2023) and Earth Day (April 20. 2024) Both of these community programs, highlight Cabot, Portia, his second wife, and Cole Eyraud. Eryraud rescued the pueblo from being demolished in the late 1960s. Cultural Weekend, focuses on the artistry and ancestry from Oaxaca, and Chihuahua, and Hotevilla, Arizona. These award-winning artists use authentic handcrafting techniques passed down through generations.
We are bringing Cabot’s story to our elementary schools. Working and collaborating with the Palm Springs Unified School District, Making A Difference school program is implemented to every second grader in 10 elementary schools during the 2023-2024 academic year. Our program includes a classroom visit to the school, the students visit museum, and the students receive guest passes to visit with their families. We shared the story of Cabot—building his home, creating artwork, and enjoying the desert habit. This is possible through the generosity of the Anderson’s Children’s Foundation and the Palm Springs Unified School District.
Making a Difference is also making an impact on second graders. Some of their observations are:
- I am surprised because I never been to a museum.
- I felt like I was in history.
- I was so excited about Cabot’s Pueblo Museum—it was the best place ever.
One of the teachers also shared, “I think it was valuable for my students to see and experience life long ago of an incredibly resourceful explorer who loved our desert.” Through our tours and program, we bring Cabot’s legacy alive and relevant to our visitors. Of all the places he lived and visited, he made Desert Hot Springs his home.
A place where we can make a difference to our community.
