MORONGO BASIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The First Year (excerpts)
By Harvey Legrone
The Hi-Desert Star, July 27, 1994, on the Opinion page, expressed their view that Yucca Valley needed a historical society in order to preserve history for future generations. For a long time three women and their husbands also had concerns about preserving local history. The women, Ruth Long, Helen Dotts and Bernice Faltrick, got together to discuss the possibilities of forming a historical society. They determined a sure way to find out the level of interest was to get into action and ask people. So they burned up the telephone lines and e-mail channels, in order to get an opinion, and subsequently determined there was sufficient interest to call a public meeting. At their own expense, they secured a meeting place in the Yucca Valley Community Center, and a little more than four years after the Hi-Desert Star article, September 12, 1998, a meeting took place. Thirty-five people attended the meeting, and a committee volunteered to select a name, adopt a charter, bylaws and standing rules, propose a budget and apply for non-profit status. By September 23, 1998, the fledgling society had identified its first project, preserving Warren's Well.
A Steering Committee met weekly and began to set forth how the society would be organized and operate. While at various times many different individuals contributed, the regular nucleus of the Steering Committee consisted of Paul Cook, Carole Kester, Helen Dotts, Sandy Williams, Bernice Faltrick, Ruth Long and Harvey Legrone. It was determined that the organization should be representative for all of the Morongo Basin communities and therefore was named, "Morongo Basin Historical Society" (MBHS). A general meeting was held November 14, 1998, at the Pomona First Federal Bank In Yucca Valley for the purpose of reading the proposed bylaws, progress report of the Steering Committee, election of a Nominating Committee for officers, update on the progress of preserving Warren's Well, and inquire about member interest in active participation for the organization. December 22, 1998, the soon to be society received its first mail in their new Post Office Box 2046 - it was desired to have 1946 for the post office box number, to denote the founding year of the first Yucca Valley Post Office. However, this number was already in use. In the year 2046, the YV Post Office will be 100 years old.