Desert Center Unified School District
Encyclopedia
Desert Center Unified School District is located in the eastern part of Riverside County in California
. The district services the unincorporated areas of Eagle Mountain
, Desert Center
, Lake Tamarisk and Chiriaco Summit
.
Eagle Mountain Mine finally ceased operations. The high school held its final graduation. Three of the Desert Center Unified School District schools closed their doors. All of the district's furniture and supplies were placed into storage at Eagle Mountain High School. The high school was converted to become the kindergarten through eighth grade Eagle Mountain School for the area's few remaining students. By 1985 there were only 4 regular education classes, six teachers and 75 students at the school. In 2008 it had 19 enrolled students and 2 teachers.
The first school is the area was Desert Center School, which was originally a red-brick schoolhouse built by Steve Ragsdale in the 1940s along U.S. Route 60
in Desert Center
.
Eagle Mountain Elementary School's first opened for the 1957-1958 school year. Prior to that elementary students were bussed to the Desert Center School. Some older students continued to attend Desert Center school after the opening of Eagle Mountain Elementary School. John Hall was the first principal of Eagle Mountain Elementary. His wife Louise taught Kindergarten. Eagle Mountain Elementary School closed its doors in 1983.
Eagle Mountain High School was dedicated on September 10, 1962. Prior to this high school students traveled 120 miles daily to the Coachella Valley High School
, in Thermal, California
. It was closed as a high school in June, 1983. The founding students chose blue and gold as the school's official colors. EMHS's original crest/emblem was designed by Dan Litteral (Class of 1966.) The school's original alma mater lyrics were written by Loretta McDonald (Class of 1964.) Students from Eagle Mountain High School went on to become doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, military commissioned and non-commissioned officers, parents, teachers, professional photographers, technicians, law enforcement officers, ministers and more. The Vietnam War claimed two Alumni: Nicholas 'Nicki' Schroeder (Class of 1968) and Robert Dalton (Class of 1968.)
The Henry J. Kaiser Middle School was built during the late 1960s. It closed its doors in 1983.
• Great Schools report
• Eagle Mountain Family Trees
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The district services the unincorporated areas of Eagle Mountain
Eagle Mountain, California
Eagle Mountain, California is a modern day ghost town, in the Colorado Desert, in Riverside County founded in 1948 by noted industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. The town is located at the entrance of the now-defunct Eagle Mountain iron mine, once owned by the Southern Pacific Railroad, then Kaiser Steel,...
, Desert Center
Desert Center, California
-"Desert Steve" Ragsdale:The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen A. Ragsdale, also known as “Desert Steve”, and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to...
, Lake Tamarisk and Chiriaco Summit
Chiriaco Summit, California
Chiriaco Summit is a small unincorporated town and travel stop located along Interstate 10 in the Colorado Desert of Southern California. It is west of Desert Center....
.
Closed schools
- Desert Center School
- Eagle Mountain Elementary School
- Eagle Mountain High School (currently Eagle Mountain School K–8)
- Henry J. Kaiser Middle School
History
Life as it had been known in Eagle Mountain for the previous 35 years came to an end in June, 1983 when Kaiser Steel'sKaiser Steel
Kaiser Ventures is an American corporation, headquartered in Ontario, California. It was founded by Henry J. Kaiser to provide steel plate for the Pacific Coast shipbuilding industry, which expanded during World War II, then shrank, then expanded again during the Korean War...
Eagle Mountain Mine finally ceased operations. The high school held its final graduation. Three of the Desert Center Unified School District schools closed their doors. All of the district's furniture and supplies were placed into storage at Eagle Mountain High School. The high school was converted to become the kindergarten through eighth grade Eagle Mountain School for the area's few remaining students. By 1985 there were only 4 regular education classes, six teachers and 75 students at the school. In 2008 it had 19 enrolled students and 2 teachers.
The first school is the area was Desert Center School, which was originally a red-brick schoolhouse built by Steve Ragsdale in the 1940s along U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia to western Arizona. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri, at its intersection...
in Desert Center
Desert Center, California
-"Desert Steve" Ragsdale:The town was founded in 1921 by Stephen A. Ragsdale, also known as “Desert Steve”, and his wife, Lydia. Ragsdale was an itinerant preacher and cotton farmer, originally from Arkansas. In 1915, he left his farm in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River to attend to...
.
Eagle Mountain Elementary School's first opened for the 1957-1958 school year. Prior to that elementary students were bussed to the Desert Center School. Some older students continued to attend Desert Center school after the opening of Eagle Mountain Elementary School. John Hall was the first principal of Eagle Mountain Elementary. His wife Louise taught Kindergarten. Eagle Mountain Elementary School closed its doors in 1983.
Eagle Mountain High School was dedicated on September 10, 1962. Prior to this high school students traveled 120 miles daily to the Coachella Valley High School
Coachella Valley High School
-Athletics:Coachella Valley High School is in the Desert Valley League which includes Cathedral City, Coachella Valley, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert and Palm Springs. Out of conference opponents sometimes include Desert Hot Springs and Desert Mirage High School near Mecca, California...
, in Thermal, California
Thermal, California
Thermal is a census-designated place located approximately 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs and about 9.5 miles north of the Salton Sea. Although one can find sunny skies most days, residents occasionally endure strong winds and sizzling summer temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The...
. It was closed as a high school in June, 1983. The founding students chose blue and gold as the school's official colors. EMHS's original crest/emblem was designed by Dan Litteral (Class of 1966.) The school's original alma mater lyrics were written by Loretta McDonald (Class of 1964.) Students from Eagle Mountain High School went on to become doctors, lawyers, airline pilots, military commissioned and non-commissioned officers, parents, teachers, professional photographers, technicians, law enforcement officers, ministers and more. The Vietnam War claimed two Alumni: Nicholas 'Nicki' Schroeder (Class of 1968) and Robert Dalton (Class of 1968.)
The Henry J. Kaiser Middle School was built during the late 1960s. It closed its doors in 1983.
External links
• School Accountability Report Card• Great Schools report
• Eagle Mountain Family Trees