General Patton Memorial Museum

"Fun with the Family"

Thirty miles east of Indio and 70 miles from the Arizona state line on Interstate 10 is a museum not to be missed. Exit at Chiriaco Summit and look for the American flag. You are at what was once the entrance to Camp Young, the famous Desert Training Center.
This is the site chosen by Maj. Gen. George Smith Patton Jr. in March 1942 as a training center for desert warfare. Nearly one million American service people trained here. Patton commanded the camps for four months, departing in August 1942 to lead Operation Torch, the allied assault on German-held North Africa. The camp closed on April 30, 1944.
The museum has an excellent twenty-six-minute video, plus exhibits. Many of the artifacts were donated by servicepeople. There are armored tanks on display, along with memorials and a small outdoor chapel.
The General Patton Museum was established through the tireless efforts of Margit Chiriaco Rusche and the Bureau of Land Management. Margit recalls seeing the tanks from her front yard as a five-year-old, when the Desert Training Center was in full swing. Be sure to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner at the charming coffee shop, where comfortable booths have looked out on the desert since 1933. Margit bakes the best chocolate cake, slathered with chocolate frosting and walnuts, for miles!
On the menu is the DTC (Desert Training Center) burger, made with Spam (kids, ask your grandparents about that!). There are also corn dogs with chips and lots of sandwiches kids will enjoy. The Traveler’s Special breakfast costs $5.25, and that includes two each of pancakes, eggs, sausage patties, and bacon. It’s worth driving out to Chiriaco Summit for this breakfast bargain! On the weekend, enjoy the carne asada and on Wednesday don’t miss Grandma Ruth’s pot roast—a family recipe.