The Arizona sentinel., 1908-12-23
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
 REGI0H UHFATROMED The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
 PrOdGCtiyeneSS And ths Climate is Ent0xiCatingIy
 SaiUbriOnS
BY GEORGE N. HUTTON, In Los Angeles Times.

It is very far from a standardization since Hhree little open boats under the flag of spain first touched the waters of the western hemi- sphere and revealed the new world to the eyes of European. It is only little over a Gentury since the United States Of America spnng, so to speak, ike Pallas Athcue from tGc brain Of love, a completely armed ad- diton to the family Of nations. It is but Ettlc yer half a century since California be- came a part ofthese United States of America, and less than generation since the settle ment of the Great South west 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, q re- aliZaliOn Of the vast riches of the American continent, Of the territory Of the United States and of this Great Southwest has been cnore and more astonishing to the minds of men. One would suppose that by today we knew pretty thoroughly what the undevelop- ed resources of the Great Southwest might reasonably be expected 10 become. We have not reached the depths of this great ocean Of wealth with our plummet line yet.
 In residence of forty years on the Coast the writer thought he knew little about what there is on the Coast, and as most of these years have been spent in and around Los Angeles, he naturally had a little, con- eeit that he was pretty well acquainted with fhr Great Southwest. Last week trip to the Colorado Rlver 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 60 great many readers Of The Times by the stories published, if not by the demon- stratiou of their own eyes.
 Yuma lies on the map just twelve miles from where the government is putting in the great Laguna dam. al the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers. IL is twelve miles from Yuma down the river 10 the Mexican bounG-y line on the Arizona side or the river Al one point. just below Yuma. the interna- lional bouEdry line runs up along the river which there takes westerly trend and from Yuma 1o Mexico is only few miles.
 ONCE A MIGHTY STREAM.
 Ages ago when the mountain ranges of Arizona and California lowered toward the stars. a; least twice as high as they do now, rains were very frcducnt and came down in aorrcntial volumes ail along these mountain ridges. Tie Colorado River in these past ages was mighty stream sweeping down debris in tons every sccond of its 5ow. The CoICTai- to sink vas ai that time a great inland sea, which spread oyer the country on both sides of where the river now runs. As the erosion of winds and storms, iandslides and glaciers wcre down tue mountain ridges year by year, the great river carried down q vast amount Of sit; erosion from the rocks full of phOs phaiea, times and dlsintcrgrated Granitcs, as well :ls tue vegetation along its banks; and this was alI deposited in what are now the sinks of the Colorado.
 As the mountain tops were worn down, the Tnins became less frequent and less .n volume bat the erosion of rocks and river banks, the iyces and vegetable mould torn from the banks still came down aud settled into tue bottom of the great inland lake. This geogical process went on from age to age tu our time, leaving the Colorado a: Yuma a stream about half a mile wide and being at the present time about twenty feet deep ia the deepest portion.
 ii iSnnt necessary to remind Californians that fie Spanish missionaries and explorers collei his river the Colorado bccnuSc Of the reddish color of it's waters. It is thc Colorado up in inc Grand Canyon in Arizona and down past The Needles But at this lime oi fhc Yrar. aGter passing the mouth of the Gila instead of he rcd river it becomes tine brown river. l. actually looks today as if ten pcr cent fiis flow was silt and only ninety pei cent water.
 INCHES OF EOIL WONDERFUL
 E,I' the object of tniS story is to call attcn tion once more, and for perhaps the thou ssudth ting. tu tac riches ot tdc soil along