The Arizona sentinel., 1897-10-02
THE VILLAGE OF YUMA.


 Although the town of Yuma is the second oldest community in the Territory of Ari- zona, it is astonishing how little its re sources are known to the world at large, and how slightly developed is the natural wealth i of the county. This is owing partly to. Yuma's reputation for unbearable heat, and partly to the fact that, lying next to Cali fornia. is has been assumed that the county has been thoroughly prospected for mineral wealth, and prospectors have, in the main, kept the travelled highways in crossing its Territory. As a matter of fact one suffers less from the heat here than in almost all of the settled communities of the east, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, and there is no healthier climate on Gods footstool.
 People labor cut of doars from the rising to the setting of the sun, and suffer no in convenience. There has never been known, in this section of country, an authentic case of sunstroke Our climate, taken iii time, never fails to cure pulmonary complaints of any description. Disease such as smallpox, cholera etc., rarely visit us, and then only in a very mild form, and are never fatal ex- cept through the perversity of patients. Contrary to the belief of the uninformed, the dry heat of the summer months is es pecially conducive to geod health and ex- ceptional vigor, acting naturally upon the 1 human system with the same effect as the artificial result of Turkish bath-purefy ing and renovating it. As a further matter of fact, this county has never been even superfcially suspected, and it is only now that people are beginning to search its hills with any degree of systematic enthusiasm l for the mineral wealth hidden there, Ow- | ing to the falling off in the price of silver, deposits of gold only are being sought for; and the present result is little short of mar vicious. In all sections of the county from the Sonora line to Williams Fork discoveries are daily being made, and the greater the development the greater the wealth dis played. Wherever the prospector plants his foot, ledges of gold confront him or are brought to light by the investigating strokes of his pick.
 Portions of the country traversed for years by commonly travelled trails are devel- oping into rich storehouses of golden wealth. New and rich placers are constantly being discovered, and shipments of placer gold from this point through Wells Fargo X Co.'S Express, are steadily increasing in value. From mining standpoint Yuma County is rapidly leading the Territory, and yet as far as that industry is concerned, this section has received but little recog- milton.
 Agriculturally the country is vastly i'm proving. Enterprises that have lain dor mant the last two years, owing to the gen. eral financial depression and consequent dearth of money for investment purposes, are waking up to new life and vigOr. Money is being attracted in this direction, and on all sides can be distinguished that indefn- able stir which is the precursor of an indus trial awakening. Even within these last two years of financial stringency and de- pression there has been a steady if slow in- crease in agricultural development and wealth. A greater area of old farms has been put under cultivation, and new lands have been inclosed and new fields started. A large section of BIaisdell Heights has been planted to fruit trees; fields of cereals and alfalfa have been added to the cultivated lands lying under tn: Mohawk and Farmers canals have been made to yield heavy crops of every variety of agricultural products, as in other sections of the Gila valley, and the gardens of Yuma have been added to and beautitied in fruits, flowers and Ehubbory to a more than appreciabe extent. Altogether we may feel proud of our progress during these last moaths of business depression and discouragement. It speaks well for the in dustry and pluck of our people, and the slowing made constitutes the best evidence of the merits of our soil and climate and the richness of our mineral resources. Nature has done everything for our county, and all that is needed is a touch of the wand of cap ital to have our hills and valleys spring into an active life of remunerative industry that will last and endure forever.
 Some three years ago, through the energy of H. w. Blaisdcll, the Yuma Water and Light Company was incorporated, and by means of its large pumping plant, at the foot of Main street, the town is abundantly supplied with water at reasonable rates, and there have grown ipto existence new and large gardens and orchards.