Man petitions road name change to mend racial tensions from past

A road in Palm Springs could be getting a name change to honor an African-American pioneer in the Coachella Valley.

Lawrence Crossley was one of the first African Americans to settle in Palm Springs in the 1920s. He became very successful in association with Prescott Stevens, the developer of El Mirador Hotel, the Whitewater Mutual Water Company, and Old Las Palmas. Crossley owned a number of small businesses in Palm Springs and was an honorary member of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, trying to improve the lives of the Indians.

He also helped African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans rebuild and relocate after Palm Springs demolished their homes back in 1962 in what’s been referred to by the State of California as a “city-engineered holocaust” in the area known as Section 14. That event spawned bad blood from the different races, which some residents in the city feel still exists in present day.

But Crossley’s name is only remembered on a brief mile-long Palm Springs street as Crossley Road. It starts north of Ramon Road and stops at 34th Avenue. It then turns into another name: Golf Club Drive.

Trae Daniel, a resident of a nearby neighborhood known as the Crossley Tract, started a petition to rename the road by Crossley’s full name, as well as merge Golf Club Drive to extend the road of his name in Crossley’s honor. He cites other roads in Palm Springs that include peoples’ first and last names and thinks Crossley deserves the same respect. He also has a theory as to why the road was divided by name in the first place.

“[Investors] were interested in selling that land to developers who would then build homes or condominiums,” said Daniel, a resident in the Crossley Tract. “It would not have been prudent at the time to have the name Crossley Road or Lawrence Crossley Road run from Ramon to East Palm Canyon.”

Daniel has taken an interest in the name change because he feels it’s important to recognize a great man and give credit where credit’s due in developing the city, regardless of race. He also thinks it will be a motivation for the younger generation who may not know Crossley’s history in the city.

“I think it’s important to say we’re not just a city of white people and that there are other groups of us that live here and there were other groups that helped create the city,” said Daniel. He added, “I think it’s a good reminder to all young people of every ethnicity that you can succeed regardless of your background. If Mr. Crossley could do it at a time when he was severely challenged, you can today.”

Public comments regarding the road name change petition will be heard by the Planning Commission of Palm Springs on Wednesday, July 22nd at 1:30pm at City Hall.