The Arizona sentinel., 1900-02-28
THE VILLAGE OF YUMA.

{
 THE VILLAGE OF YUMA.
 Although the town of Yuma is the second oldest community in the Territory of Arl- zona, it is astonishing how little its re .ources are known to the world at large, and low slightly developed is the natural wealth 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 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 out of door from the rising to the setting of the sui, and suffer no in in this section of country, an authentic case of sunstroke Our climate, taken in time, never fails to cure pulmonary complail. t7 of any description. Disease such as smallpox, cholera, etc, rarely visit us, and then oLly in very mild form, and are never fatGl ex cept through the perversity of patients. Contrary to the belief of the uninformel, the dry heat of the summer months iS es- pecially conducive to good health and ez- reptional vigor, acting naturally upon ti.o human system with the same effect as the artificial result of Turkish bath-parefy 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 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 velous 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 fost, 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 deveI- oping into rich storehouses of golden wealth. New and rich placers are constantly being discovered, and shipments of placer gold from this 2oint through Wells Fargo & Co.'S Express, are steadily increasing in vaIas. From mining standpoint Yuma County is rapidly leading the Territory, and yet as far as that industry is concerned, this section has received hut little recog- nltion.
 Agriculturally the country is vastly i'm proving. Enterprises that have lain dor mant the last two years, owing to tue gen eral financial depression and consequent dearth of money for investment purposes, are waking up 10 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 iu- crease in agricultural development and wealth. 4 greater area of old farms has Teen put under cultivation, and new lands nave been inclosed and new fields started. A large section of B!aisdell Heights has been planted to fruit trees; field of cereals and alfalfa have been added the cultivated area on the Colorad0 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 gardens of Yuma have been added to and beautifed in fruits, flowers and shubbery to a more than appreciable extent. Altogether we may feel proud of our progress during these last months of business depression and cement. IL speaks well fol the in dUstry and pluck ot our people, and the showing made eonstitates the best evidence of the merits of our soil and climate and the richness of our mineral resources. Nature has done everything for onr county, and all that is needed is touch of the wand of cap- ital to have our hills ana valleys spiin8 intc an active life of remunerative industry that will last tand endure forever
 Some three years ago, through the energy of II. W. BlaisdeIl, the Yuma Water and Light Company was incorporated, and b. 1 means "t its large pumping plant, at tn foot of M n street, the town is abundant, l supplied vlth water at reasonable rstes, an .here have grown into existence new an, arge gardens and orchards,