The Road Less Traveled
by Janet & Stuart Wilson
Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo
It is not especially old, certainly by the standards of Indian pueblos, nor was it built by Indians. However, Cabot’s Old Indian Pueblo does reflect the Pueblo style and it is most definitely Cabot’s. Cabot Yerxa created this most unusual structure, now a museum in Desert Hot Springs, California, about 10 miles north of Palm Springs. During our visit on a beautiful February afternoon, we heard his story while touring the 35-room, 5,000-square-foot, multi-level dwelling he crafted using found materials over 24 years. The singular building reflects the character of its decidedly eccentric builder, a personality to whom we found ourselves drawn.
Born in 1883, Yerxa was of our grandparents’ generation and his story overlapped theirs in some uncanny ways. Perhaps we came to think of him as symbolic of a generation we admired and connected somehow to people we loved and remember fondly. Tour guide Michael O’Keefe’s genuine enthusiasm for his subjects - both the “pueblo” and its builder - no doubt infected us as well.
Cabot Yerxa is reportedly descended from John Henry Cabot, the English explorer who discovered Newfoundland, so some think that a spirit of exploration came in his DNA. Born on an Indian reservation in Dakota Territory where his parents operated a trading post, the young man certainly grew up in an environment offering plenty of opportunity for adventure...
The complete article can be found in the current issue of RV Journal, available at quality campgrounds, RV dealers, parts, and service suppliers. Subscriptions are also available for this quarterly publication.
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