The Imperial Valley
College Desert Museum Society is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation, which was formed as the fund-raising arm of the Imperial
Valley College Desert Museum to help
promote education in archaeological studies.
The museum’s mission is to provide the schools and general public with a much needed educational
resource on the archaeology and prehistory of the southern California desert
and mountains. There is evidence of human habitation here for thousands of years. The museum is currently the repository for more than 9,000 artifacts gathered
from over 8,800 recorded archaeological sites throughout the Imperial Valley.
Since 1992 the society has been raising funds to construct a dedicated
building for Imperial Valley College to house
the collection. With the generous
support of the public, grants from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment and the Desert Protective Council, and
a matching-funds drive, the society has built a modern 10,000 square foot edifice on a 25 acre desert plot in Ocotillo, CA. Today the society is lending its support to begin
long awaited museum operations.