The Arizona sentinel., 1900-06-13
THE REPORT OF GOVERNOR MUIR PLY FOR 1899, CONTAINED THE FOLLOWING CONCERNING
 YUMA COUNTY
County seat, Yuma.

Llll, pIODdlt JttSt, A. IT iclliN' 9AAOA iih 2 John M. Speese; district attorney, C. L.. Brown; treasurer, D. L. DeVane; sur veyor, w. II. Elliott: recorder, w. E.. Marvin; clerk board of supervisors, w. E. Marvin.
 Yuma county, one of the four Origi- nal political subdivisions of the terri tory when it was first established by the act of congress on February A, 1863 as an independent commonwealth forms the extreme southwestern DOT ton of Arizona It lies between g and S4 degrees minutes north latitude, and 113 degrees 20 minutes and 114 degrees If minutes west longitude. It is bound- ed by Pima, Maricopa. and Yavapai counties on the east, the Colorado river on the west, Mohave county on the north, and Sonora, Mexico, on the south. It has an area of 10, 13S square miles (6,4SS, 32O acres), an eXpanse greater than any of the seven smaller states of the Union, and larger than Connecticut. Rhode Island, and Della ware combined.
 For more than 100 miles it is crossed from east to west by the Gila river, which thoroughly drains the southern and eastern portions, eventually flow ing into the Colorado at the town of Yuma, while the Colorado washes its western boundary, effectually draining the remainder.
 The typographical confguratiOn of the surface includes a series of wide plateaus. rising gradually from a point situated at the southwestern extremity with an altitude of 60 CT so feet above sea level to an elevation in the north and northwest very much higher, the whole sloping gently in a southwestern ly direction.
 These plateaus are crossed by numer- ous mountain ranges, especially in the northern part, the ranges being separ- ated by broad valleys, many consisting of excellent lands. The various noun tain systems, though rough and abrupt in character, are highly mineralized, carrying gold and silver, copper and lead, iron, and other metals in paying quantities The eastern and southern divisions include gradually slOping plains. covered in places with natural grasses and trees. among the latter be- ing the mesquite, irOnwood, and palo verde. Here and there are detached hills and spurs Of eruptive origin.
 All the country embraced within the county confines, situated north of the natural watershed of the Gila, owing to the slight rainfall and few streams from which water can be taken for az ricultural purposes. is practically worthless. so far. at least. as the feasi- bility of bringing large bodies of irri- gable land under cultivation is con- | cerned. The available arable region, therefore. is limited to broad strips of country lying directly north of the Gila and east of the Colorado river and also hundreds of miles of splendid lands stretching directly southward from Gila | river to the Mexican frontier. Conse-
 ouently it is upon these rivers that | water-storage reservoirs must be estab- | lished.
 It is more than probable that less i. | known of the physical and topographi- | cal peculiarities of Yuma county thar
 of any other county in the territory l According to the map of the interior l department, issued from the genera land office in 1883, it is shown that les | than 10 per cent of the total area wa | surveyed by the federal authorities. l | is believed that no further surveys hay { been ordered since the date mentioned and therefore so far as official recogni tion extends. more than nine-tenths O the county is a veritahle terra incog
 nita. The population numbers 3,2O | souls.
 THE VILLAGE OF YUMA. - Al
 though the town of Yuma is the secon
 oldest community in the territory c
 Arizona. it is astonishing how little it resources are known to the world a
 large and how slightly developed is tn , natural wealth of the county. This
 owing to Yumas reputation for UT bearable heat, and partly to the fac , that. lying n5Xt to Californian it has bee
 assumed that the country has bee , thoroughly prcspscted for mineral and prospectors have, in the main, kel the travelled highways in crossing i
 | territory. As a matter of fact, one su fers less from the heat here than in
 | most any of the settled communities : | the east, owing to the dryness of u atmosphere, and there is no healtm
 climate anywhere.
 People labor out of doors from u - l rising to the setting of the sun and su
 fer no inconvenience. There has neV
 been known in this section of the cou V trv an auth5 ntic case of sunstrOke. c V climate. taken in time, never falls . cure pulmonary complaints of any q e ScriptiOn. Diseases such as Smallpo S cholera. etc, rarely visit us, and tn , only in a very mild form, and are neV n fatal. except through the perversity Is the patients. Contrary to the belief ,s the uninformed, the dry heat of t l. summer months is especially conducl
 to good laaIth and exceptional wig " acting naturally -p the human sJ i fem v-ith 1-.2 s-IE5 effect as the ar e fcial results oI a Turkish bath, pu s fying ana rar0yating it. As furtf r. mattel of fact Jhis county has neN n. been even sup5rhcialiy prospected, a i ] it is ony now that the people are " shining to searth it's hills with any ce gree of systematic enthusiasm for nd mineral wealth hidden there.
 he Portions of country traversed vs years by commonly travelled trails h. developing into rich storehouses e golden wealth New and rich plac h tare being discovered, and shipments is placer gold from this point, throl st Wells Fargo & Co.'S express, are is creasing in value. From a min al- standpoint Yuma county is rapidly Ire veloping. and yet, as far as that to dustry is concerned. this section Ivy. received but little recognition. ,as Agricv1turally, the country is is improving Enterprises that have -sh dormant the last two years, owing All the general financial depression uts consequent dearth of money for inv