The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1908-11-25
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
REGION UNFATHOMED
The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
PrOduCtiyeneSS
And the Climate is IntOxiCatingIy
SdIubrioaS
By GEORGE y. BURTON,
In Los Angeles Times.

IL is very far from a semi-ml!enium sine,
three little open boats under the flag OF Spain
first touched the waters of the western hemi
sphere and revealed the new world TO thu
eyes Of Europeans. 1t is only little over
century since the United States of Americi
sprang so to speak, like Pallas Athene from
the brain Of JOve, n completely armed ad
GlitiOn TO the family OF nations. 1t is hui
little yer half century since California be
came part Of these United States Of America
and less than a generation since the settle
ment of the Great Southwest began.
In all the l25 years since the Republic was
founded, also in the half century since Cali
fOrnia became one of the States of the Union.
and during every year of the last thirty, a re-
alizTtior Of the vast riches of the American
continent, of the territory of the United
states and of this Great Southwest has been
more and more astonishing to the minds OF
1nen. One would suppose that by today we
knew pretty thoroughly what the undevelop-
ed resources of the Great Southwest might
reasonably be expected TO become. We have
not reached the depths OF this great ocean OF
wealth with our p!ummct line yet.
In residence OF forty years on the Coast
the writer thought he knew little about
these years have been spent in and around
Los Angeles, he naturally had a little con-
ceit that he was pretty well acquainted with
the Great Southwest. Last week trip to the
Colorado River bottoms below Yuma made
HIM feel as a tenderfoot who had come in on
the last train. New to him, this wonderful
region and its possibilities are pretty well
known to great many readers OF The Times
ltrf
stration of their own eyes.
Yuma lies on the map just twelve miles
from where the government is putting in the
great Laguna dam, at the confluence of the
ella and Colorado Rivers. 1t is twelve miles
from Yuma down the river to the Mexican
bound-y line on the Arizona side of the river
At one point, just below Yuma. the interna-
iional boundry line runs up along the river
which there takes a westerly trend and from
Yuma To Mexico is only few niles.
ONCE A MIGHTY STREAM.
Ages ago when the mountain ranges Of
Arizona and California lowered toward The
stars al least twice as high as they do now,
rains were very freduent aud came down in
torrcntial volumes all along these mountain
ridges The Colorado River in these past ages
was a mighty stream, sweeping down debris
i'm tons every second of its flow. The Colora-
do sink was at that time Il great inland sea,
which spread over the country on both sides
al where the river now runs. AS the erosion
OF winds and storms. landslideS aud glaciers
wore down the mountain ridges year by year,
the great river carried down a vast amount
of SIT, erosion from the rocks full Of phos.
pilates lines and dIsintergrated GRANTEES. As
well rs the vegetation along its banks: and
this was all deposited in what are now the
sinks of the Colorado.
As the mountain tops were worn down, the
rains became less frequent and less in volume
iut the erosion OF rocks and river banks, the
trees and vegetable mould torn from the
banks still came down and settled into tho
bottom OF the great inland lake This gcogicai
process went on from age to age 10 our time,
leaving the Colorado at Yuma a stream about
half a mile wide and being at the present
time about twenty feet deep il the deepest
portion.
1t is not necessary to remind Californians
that the Spanish missionaries and explorers
called this river the Colorado because Of the
reddish color OF its waters. IL is the Colorado
mp in tie Grand Canyon i'm Arizona and
down past The Needles. but at This time of
the year. after Passing the mouth Of the ella,
instead OF the red river il becomes the brown
river. II actually looks today as if ten per
cent of its flow was silt and only ninety per
cent water
RICHES OF SOIL WONDERFUL
But the object OF this story is TO cali stten-
zion once more. and for perhaps the thou
sau.l+h time. t. the riches of the soil along