About Us

It wasn’t until after World War II, where the military jeep had proved so sturdy and utilitarian, that adventurous souls became enamored with its use in our mountainous back country and desert using old Indian and white man trails. Thus, a new type of recreation was being born in the late 1940s and 50s, embraced by a small group of hardy men eager to see what our challenging countryside had to offer, and the term “ jeeping ” became the definitive name for” Four Wheeling”.

In those early years a “Search and Rescue” team of local men with citizen band radios gained an intimate knowledge of the local back country thru their rescue work. Some decided to forego “Search and Rescue” and concentrate on adventure and exploration. Two of these men were Roy Pruitt and Bozzy Willis. Bozzy had always worked closely with the Bureau of Indian Affairs where his father had been employed. Bozzy’s knowledge of the Indians, their trails, culture and history made him an instant leader of the small band of early four wheelers. Eventually the membership evolved into a club named Tierra Del Sol. Tierra Del Sol 4-Wheel Drive Club was incorporated in August 1962 as a non-profit organization and some of the early names are still part of the TDS roster: Albrecht, Arnold, Branch, Collins, Fertig, Londo, Nielson, Rappold, and Stough.