The Arizona sentinel., 1899-04-08
THE VILLAGE OF YUMA.

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 of the county This is owing partly to Yuma's reputation for unbcarable heat, aud 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 prospeetoTs have, in the ma;u, kept the travelled highways ill 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 ont of door from the rising to the setting of the suu, and suffer no in convenience There has never been known, in this section of country, an authentic case of sunstroke Our climate, taken in time, never fails to cure pulmonary complaints of any description. Disease such as snalircx, cholera, etc., rarely visit US, and then orly in a very mild form, and are never fatal ex cept through the pervcrsity of patients. Contrary to the belief of the uninformod, the dry heat of the summer months is es- pecially conducive to good health and ex- ceptional vigor, acting naturally upon tie 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 onl now that people are beginning to search its hills with any degree of systematic enthusiasm 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 IOCNSlODuSuG biiS SlCcbOl lA1S NNt~lth 1tAo- played. Wherever the prospector plants his foot, lodges of gold confront him or are brought to light by the investigating strokes of his pick.
 Portions of the country traversed foI years by commonly traveIed trails are devel oping into rich storchouses of golden wealth New and rich placers are constantly being discovered, aud shipments of placer gold from this point through Wells Fargo < Co. $ Express, are steadily increasing in value. From a mining standpoint Yuma County is rapidly leading the Territory, and yet as far as that industry is concerned, tkis 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 or all sides can bc distinguished that indcfin 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 iii crease in agricultural development ana wealth. A greater area of old farms Ina, } been put under cultivation, and new land, have been inclosed and new fields started A large section of Blaisdell Heights has beer planted to fruit trees; field of cereals an6 alfalfa have been added to the cultivated area on the Colorado river below town; the lands lying under tho Mohawk and Farmer. canals have been made to yield heavy crop, of every variety of agricultural products, Q; in other sections of the Gila valley, and tn, gardens of Yuma have been added to anG , beautiied in fruits, flowers and shubbory tc a more than appreciable extent. Altogethe1 . we may feel proud of our progress durin! these last months of business depression anC
 diScOuragement. It speaks well foI the in dustry and pluck of our people, and th' showing made constitutes the best evidenc, , of the merits Of our soil and climate ard tn,
 richness of our mineral resources. Natur, has done everything for our county, and al
 that is needed is touch of the wand of cap ital to have our hills and valleys spring int, an active life of remunerative industry tha ! will last and endure forever.
 Some three years ago, through the encrg, of H. w. Blaisdcu, the Yuma Water anc Light Company was incorporated, and b, , means of its large pumping plant, at tn foot of M. in street, the town is abundant,
 supplied with water at reasonable rates, an,
 there have grown into existence new am
 large gardens and orchards.