It ’ s Filled With Fascinating History
Tucked into the southwest corner of Arizona , Yuma has often been looked upon as a small , hot , dusty little burg that ’ s home to an onslaught of ‘ snow birds ’ each winter . While it ’ s true that many retirees flock to the southern U . S . to escape the ravages of winter , they are only a small part of the increasingly diverse group of visitors that come to Yuma in search of old west history , world-class recreation and delectable cuisine . What have they discovered about this not-sosleepy city ? What makes Yuma so ‘ cool ’?
It ’ s Filled With Fascinating History
Spanish explorers discovered early Native American cultures near the Colorado River as far back as 1540 when the river was wide and wild . Two granite outcroppings offered safety and shelter from annual flooding , making it the most accessible spot to cross the Colorado . This later became known as ‘ Yuma Crossing ’.
Missionaries and settlers of ‘ New Spain ’ followed . Juan Batista de Anza was commissioned to forge a trail from Sonora to Northern California , a route used by over 2000 people , leading to the establishment of San Francisco . Wagon routes crossed here , as did 60,000 fortune seekers who followed the Gila Trail during the Gold rush of 1849 . Fort Yuma supplied the U . S . Military and its chain of forts throughout the southwest . Stagecoaches stopped here en route from San Diego to San Antonio , and by the 1870 ’ s the Colorado was filled with steamships and barges laden with people and goods . Yuma was a bustling port filled with all the characters , crime and excitement of the wild , wild west .
In 1871 , a city plan was established and the railroad barreled into town , but life really changed when the ‘ Yuma Project ’ began in 1904 . This monumental irrigation project included construction of Laguna Dam , the first on the Colorado , and the ‘ Yuma Siphon ’, a concrete tunnel , 14 feet in diameter , that ran underneath the river to deliver water to the burgeoning agricultural fields .
The first ‘ modern motel ’ in the state , the Coronado Motor Hotel , opened in 1936 . Owned and operated by John and Yvonne Peach , the hotel has always been in John ’ s
It was the first ‘ modern motel ’ in the state and the Coronado Motor Hotel still welcomes visitors to Yuma Arizona . Visit their museum to learn more about the history of this treasured city landmark .