Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-09-21
EARLY TIMES.
A Few Historical Paragraphs of
 Yuma County.
W. $. Hodges in Yuma Times.

W. $. Hodges i'll Yuma Times The town of La Paz was founded ir 1862, at a point near the Colorado about
 120 miles above Ft Yuma, and SCOT | contained large population. Carleton'l
 California column had marched into
 Arizona by way of Ft. YumB and tho
 supply of army transportation and forage
 at war prices, supplemented by continu
 ed activity all through the Territory IF
 mining and prospecting, made business
 very good.
 | In 1862 nearly the whole town of Yuma
 was washed away by an unprecedented
 freshet of the Gila river. The water poured down Main street into the Col
 orado in stream six or seven feet deep Hooper's store, near the river, was com pletely washed away. J.W. Jones, who
 afterwards built the Yuma Exchange,
 then had an extensive ranch on the Gila
 bottom just above town. On part of his
 farm the water stood nearly twenty feet
 deep, and he lost everything. Eight or
 nine years afterwards Jones lost his life
 m singular manner. la opening a
 bottle of porter piece of wire pricked
 his hand, erysipelas set in and he died
 in few days. After the freshet the
 town was rebuilt
 In 1864 the extensive Quartermaster
 Depot buildinge were erected cn this side of the river by Major WIn. B.
 Hooper, then in the Volunteers. They
 were burned down in 1867, but inn
 mediately rebuilt by Capt. w. B.
 Hughes. Major Hooper afterwards re- signed from the service and became a
 partner in the firm of Hinton, Hooper & O., afterwards becoming head of the firm under the style of Wm. B. Hooper
 & Go.
 James M. Barney had been a merchant in Santa Cruz and Watsonville, Cal. Business being ruined in that State by the terrible drouth of 1864 he came to Yuma and first engaged in freighting on the Tucson road, but afterwards took the superintendency of the Quartermas- ter's Depot. Later he bacame partner of Hooper's and still later bought out the whole concern.
 Meanwhile the development of the placers near La Paz had made that the largest town in Arizona next to Tucson, and on the organization of the Territory in lS64 1t was made the county seat of Yuma county, remaining so until 1870, when the county seat removed to Yuma. then called Arizona City.
 October 18th, 1862, the country then being under martial law and under con- msnd of Gen. Carleton, an election was held at La PaZ which resulted in the choice ot F. G. Fitch for Alcalde, or Justice of the Peace, Pedro Badillo for first Sheriff, Francisco Figueroa second Sheriff and Jesus Balderain Recorder. The foregoing name indicate the pre- ponder8nce of Mexicans in the popula- tion. Pedro Badillo, better known as "Sixtoed Pete," from the peculiarity of his feet, afterwards lived on the Tia Juana river near San Diego and in Baja California near the American line and is now resident of Tucson. Hls name frequently appear Tn the newspapers of those days from his connection on one side or the other with all the distur- bances that distressed that country. The proceedings covering the election i were sent to Fit. Yuma for approval of Col. G. w. Bowie, Fifth Infantry, Cal itornia Volunteers, commanding the post. The election was held under the direction of committee of citizens of which Herman Ehrenberg was chair man.
 Ehrenberg was a distinguished min eraloglst who had become interested in mines here. He was afterwards mur- dered at station on the stage road to San BernardinO across the desert. His name WAS given to the town of Ehren- berg on the Colorado, some SIX miles south of La PsZ, In March, 1863, an was formed and 1920 acres of land located for a togn site and sub | divided into town lots. Ehrepberg was elected surveyor and c. II. Brinley agent.
 During 1862 and '63, rich placers and | quartz mines were discover cd in the in- | terior of the Territory, the route to | which then lay through La Paz, up the l Colorado to WilliaEis' Fork and then up | hat stream. Later wagon road was | opened leaving La Paz to the north and | starting from point known as Mineral { City, but in 1867 laid out and surveyed | by F. Wildermar AS the town of Eh- -enberg. In 1862 ferry had been estab- ished at this same point by Jose M. w. A. Werninger and - Brad shaw, and afterwards passed into the hands of T. J. Goodman.
 The founders of Ehrenberg were c II. Brinley, Isaac Polhanus, John Dow md ID. c. Robinson, all steam boatmen. The new town did not amount to much lntil 1869, when the mercantile house )f s. Goldwater & Bto. and moved there rom La Paz and soon after followed by III there was left of that once properous own. The decay of La Paz was caused y the working out of the placer mines. ] he change ln the line of travel to and rom the interior, and by the removal of he county seat to Yuma.
 The Colorado Indian Reservation was on the river bank above La 'az for the occupancy of the Mohave. tuna, and ouch of the Chimehueyi and Cocopah Indians ss chose to make their lomes there, In 1872 the reservation vas extended to the southward SO AS to Include the then nearly abandoned town 1T La Tag, which was made the head quarters Of the Hualapai Indlans, mov- d down there from Mohaye county. | These were mountain Indians and piued niseraoly on the reservation until they were turned loose again. When the res rvatlod was first established, La Psz xpected to dorive much benefit from it. | relation of Mrs. U. s. Grant. named Dent. was in charoa of if and cnapt in, nenae sums of public money in fruitless chemes for irrigation, etc.