The Arizona sentinel., 1899-12-16
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 it's 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 unboarable heat, and partly to the fact that, lying next to Cali fornia, is has been assumed that the county has Been thoroughly PrOspccted for mineral wealth, and prospectors have, in the main,
 kept the travelled highways in crossing its Territory. As a matter of fact one suffers i less from the heat here than in almost al of the settled communities of the east, owing to the dryness of the atmosphere, and there is 10 healthier climate on Gods footstool.
 People labor ont of door 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 sunstrolle. Our climate, taken in time, never fails to cure pulmonary complaints of any description. Disease such as smallpox, cholera, etc., rarely visit us, and then oTly in a very mild form, and are never fatal eX- cept through the peiversity of patients, | Contrary to the belief of the uninformel,
 the dry heat of the summer months is es- peciallv conducive to good health and ez- ceptional vigor, acting naturally upon t!.o
 human system with the same effect as the artificial result of @ Turkish bath-purefy
 ing and renovating it. As further matter
 of fact, this county has never been even
 superGcially suspected, and it is only 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 eff 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, lodges 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 pIacers are constantly being
 discovered, and shipments of placer gold from this point through Wells Fargo & Co., Express, are steadily increasing in } valua. From mining standpoint Yuma County is rapidly leading the Territory, and
 vet as far as that industry is concerned,
 this section has received but little recog-
 milton.
 2 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 ill this direction, and on } all sides can be distinguished tlat indefn-
 abe stir which is the precursor Of an indus. trial awakening. Even within these last ; two years of financial stringoncy and de- pression there has been Q steady if slow in crease in agricultural development and wealth. 4 greater area of old farms has } teen put under cultivation, and new lands
 nave been irclosed and new fields started. ! A large section of Blaisdell Heights has been
 planted to fruit trees; field of cereals and
 alfalfa have been added the cultivated area on the Colorado river below town; the
 lands lying under the 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 B gardens of Yuma have been added to and beautifod in fruits, flowers and shGbbery to more than appreciablo extent. Altogether & we may feel proud of our progress during % these last months of business depression and
 Encouragement. It speaks well fol the in Q dustry and pluck Of our people, and the ] showing 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 touch of the wand of cap- ital to have ouI 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 II. w. Blaisdell, the Yuma Water and Light Company was incorporated, and by means of its large pumping plant, at the foot of l.. iu street, the town is abundantly
 supplied with water at reasonable rates, and
 there have grown into existence new and
 large gardens and orchards,