Chapter History

Marking A President’s Birthplace

The Mojave Chapter, NSDAR, has been involved in many civic and community projects and events in Fullerton and neighboring cities, building an impressive record of historic preservation since 1925. For example, in 1972, the Mojave Chapter, NSDAR, placed a flag pole and marker recognizing President Nixon's birthplace house, which is now part of  The Richard Nixon Library, Birthplace, and Burial Site in Yorba Linda, California.

It was in the mid-1920s not far from the Pacific Ocean, in the fast-growing Orange County community of Fullerton, California, that the idea for the formation of another chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution evolved.

Organized by Mrs. W.J. Carmichael, the chapter began with just sixteen members who chose to name the new chapter Mojave.  The Mojave is a Native American people of the Yuman linguistic stock. The name Mojave is composed of two Indian words "aha" which means water, and "macav" meaning alongside.  The historic Mojave was known as the Pipa Aha Macav - the people who live along the water.  Originally their land stretched from Black Canyon (Hoover Dam) to the Mojave Valley and the Picacho Mountains (Parker Dam) straddling the Colorado River.  The Mojave was a sedentary tribe living in the "wikiups" and were adept agriculturists having mastered complex methods of irrigation.

These early chapter members, endowed with a personal sense of the limited frontier, possessed a unique interest-in-others quality.  Chapter members have maintained an interest in, and an appreciation for, Indian culture to this day.

Mojave Chapter, NSDAR, members have emphasized the DAR Good Citizens awards and American History awards presented at the chapter's Annual Awards Ceremony and Tea held every March.  Emphasis is also placed on the U.S. Constitution by sponsoring Constitution Week proclamations in several nearby cities and by granting generous awards to junior high school students who have shown superior understanding of the Constitution.  Medals are also given to outstanding students in the ROTC program at California State University, Fullerton, eight local high schools, and one high school in Corona.

The Mojave Chapter, NSDAR, proudly celebrated its 85th Anniversary in February 2010.  Our current membership stands at one hundred eighty-six; this includes two life members, one sixty-year member, five fifty-year members, six forty-year members, six thirty-year members, nine twenty-five-year members, six ten-year members, and twenty junior members.  We also have nine associate members.