Naming the Joshua Tree: California Mormon History

This Southwest Desert podcast episode explores the journey of Mormon pioneer Elisha Hunt as he led his wagon train across the harsh Mojave Desert in 1851, bound for San Bernardino, California. Inspired by a vision from Brigham Young pointing them to an arrowhead-shaped mountain, they trekked through the alien Joshua tree forests of the Mojave, naming the spiky trees after the biblical Joshua. Reaching the base of the Arrowhead Mountain in San Bernardino, the thirsty and weary pioneers gazed upon their promised land. The episode touches on Mormon history, California pioneers, and the iconic Joshua trees of the Mojave Desert in California, while inviting listeners to explore more of the Southwest Desert landscape and its legends.