Everett Knox DaVall purchases a half-section of land from Southern Pacific Railroad and plants 250 date palms, establishing Wonder Palms Ranch, the first residential property in what would become Rancho Mirage

William Everett establishes Eleven Mile Ranch at the northeast end of Magnesia Falls Drive

Louis McLaughlin “Mac” Blankenhorn, a Pasadena investor, purchases land around Magnesia Falls Cove and begins selling lots offering “modern attractive small homes.” Advertisements boast that “Rancho Mirage,” a name suggested by his wife, Ruth, offers “one more hour sunshine” than Palm Springs

Attorney A. Ronald Button and actor Dave Culver purchase almost 2,000 acres of the land around Magnesia Falls to seed the restart residential development. In 1956, he’s briefly joined in his venture TV and radio personality Art Linkletter

Johnny Dawson chooses Thunderbird Ranch and Red Roof ranches as the location for an 18-hole golf course and country club, backed by investors including Bob Hope, Randolph Scott, Phil Harris, Desi Arnaz, and Ralph Kiner.

Tamarisk Country Club debuts the desert’s second 18-hole course, with reigning Masters and U.S. Open champion Ben Hogan as its head pro

The 21.5-acre Blue Skies Village trailer park opens on New Year’s Day. Thunderbird hosts the 1955 Ryder Cup matches, pitting the United States against Great Britain. Ernest Breech, chairman of the Ford Motor Company, asks Thunderbird Country Club for permission to use its moniker.

Walter and Leonore Annenberg complete their Sunnlyands estate on 200 acres. Englishman Ron Fletcher launches the prime rib venue Lord Fletcher’s, modeled after his mother country’s humble inns and pubs and filled with medieval-esque swords, lances, tapestries

Singer/actress and talk show host Dinah Shore lends her name to the Colgate Dinah Shore Golf Tournament played at Mission Hills Country Club

City Council passes ordinance requiring underground installation of utilities

Gerald and Betty Ford vacate the White House and build a home on the 13th fairway of Thunderbird Country Club. Cary Grant, Roy Rogers, and Bob Hope are among the star-studded list of attendees at the groundbreaking of Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa

Construction of an 18,000-square-foot City Hall completed; it would be remodeled and expanded in 1996. 

Thunderbird neighbors Betty Ford and Leonard Firestone found the Betty Ford Center at Eisenhower. It quickly gains renown as a leading drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center

The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage opens. Amy Alcott wins her second Nabisco Dinah Shore championship and gives women’s sports a signature moment by leaping into “Poppie’s Pond” at Mission Hills. President Reagan tees off at Sunnylands alongside Secretary of State George Schultz and World Golf Hall of Famers Tom Watson and Lee Trevino

The City’s first public library opens in a former Bank of America building. Bloch Cancer Survivor Park, located adjacent to City Hall, dedicated

The City erects a fence to safeguard the federally endangered Peninsular bighorn sheep

The City opens modern, 38,000-square-foot library with the help of a $2 million donation from the Annenbergs

The 3,800-square-foot Tolerance Education Center opens on Landy Lane

U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping discuss bilateral issues at Sunnylands. Rancho Mirage High School opens on Rattler Road

Rancho Mirage Community Park, formerly Whitewater Park, adds an amphitheater with terraced seating designed to accommodate 1,000 guests

The Observatory opens at the Rancho Mirage Library. BBB Automotive Group opens Ferrari dealership

The City of Rancho Mirage officially reaches 50 years of incorporation! This milestone is accompanied by a season of celebratory events, 50th anniversary offerings from staple businesses, an anniversary book, a dedicated anniversary website, and an entire branding campaign.