Landers lies on the northern edge of our Morongo Basin. The small community began as a remote airstrip in the 1950s. In today’s historical highlight, reporter Mike Lipsitz tells us how Landers first took off…
Los Angeles inventor, manufacturer, and amateur pilot, Newlin Landers came across the area in a 1947 news story related to Giant Rock. From the air, he found a natural airstrip there and became fascinated with the area. Newlin contacted seven pilot buddies and proposed a desert hideaway only reachable by plane. Together, they filed homestead claims on eight parcels in two rows of four and planned a 100-foot-wide airstrip down the center. Over time the fliers built homes along the airstrip as planned and encouraged friends to make land claims as well. At a later gathering, the residents named the community Landers in honor of Newlin and his vision for the area. Landers airstrip, known today as Starshine Lane, first appeared on a map in 1954. And in 1962, Landers was officially acknowledged by the U.S. Postal Service with the establishment of a Post Office.
Complete Historical Highlight magazine feature:
https://www.z1077fm.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Landers.pdf
