Any desert oasis is a place of refuge in the middle of an inhospitable land. There might be a pond that captures water after a rain, or something a bit more permanent like Montezuma's Well in Arizona. People have that image from the movies of a hallucination giving travelers false hope.
In 1878 the Handbook to Arizona, written by Richard J. Hinton, first brought Montezuma's Well to the public mind. But there's evidence someone else beat Richard to writing about it. In 1583 a Spaniard named Antonio de Espejo wrote of ditch running from a pond to an abandoned pueblo. Many think he was describing Montezuma's Well and Montezuma's Castle. The well is a sinkhole into a cavern where over a million gallons of water flows each day. Nobody knows where all this water comes from in the first place.
Many other restful types of places have taken on the name oasis. Idaho's Desert Oasis RV Park is an example. It opens for five months a year beginning in May. People visit from all over the country to go dune riding in the sand, or to explore nearby caves.
The caves near the Desert Oasis RV Park have a remarkable origin. Lava cooled into tubes to form these caves. These caves extend for miles and miles underground. Lava insulates very well. Thus it's cool inside the caves even on the hottest days. Take a sweater if you visit.
Many hotels also have the oasis name. One of these is in Scottsdale, Arizona – the Sheraton Desert Oasis. The Sonaran desert is its home. There is a lot to do there. People can visit nearby art galleries, museums, or even take in a rodeo. Make sure to bring water.
The modern world has certainly changed the definition of oasis.
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