The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1908-11-18
POSSIBILITIES OF YUMA
REGION UHFATH0MED
The Soil Simply Marvellous in Its
PTOdUCtiyeHeSS
And the Climate is IHtOxiCatinqfy
Saggbri9uS
BY GEORGE n. BURTON.
In Los Angeles Times.

It is very far from Senli-lniIieniaTn since
three little open boats under the flag of Sps in
FIRST touched the waters Of the western hemi-
sphere and revea cd the new world to the
eyes Of European. II is only a little over a
century since the United States OF America
sprang, so to speak, like PaIlas Athene from
the brain Of Jove, a completely armed ad-
clifton to the family OF nations. 1t is but
little yer half century since California be-
came a part Oft these United States Of America,
and less than a generation since the settle
ment OF the Great South vest 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, re-
alization Of the vast riches of the American
continents Of the territory of the United
States and of this Great Southwest has been
more and more astonishing 10 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 I've expected to become. We have
not reached the depths of this great ocean Of
wealth with our plummet line yet.
IN a 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-
eeit that he was pretty well acquainted with
the Great Southwest. Last week a trip to the
Colorado River bottoms. below Yuma made
hlm feel as tenderfoot who had comein on
the last train. New to him, this wonderful
region and its possibilities are pretty well
known 70 great many readers OF The Times
by the stories published, if not by the demon
stration Of their own eyes.
Yuma lies on the map just twelve miles
from where the government Is putting in the
great LagRna dam, ut the confluence OF the
ella and Colorado Rivers. It is twelve miles
from Yuma down the river to the Mexican
bound-y line on the a rizona side Of the river
At one point, just below Yuma. the interna-
tional 5oRndry line runs up along the river
which shere takes westerly trend and from
YGIna to Mexico is only a few miles.
ONCE a MIGHTY STREAM.
Ages ago when The mountain ranges of
Arizona and California lowered toward the
stars, at least twice as high as they do now,
rains were very freduent and came down in
1oTrcntiai volumes all along these mountain
ridges The Colorado River in these past ages
was = mighty stream, sweeping down debris
III IONS every second'of its fiow. The Colora-
do sink was at that time great inland sea,
which spread over the country on both sides
of where tie river now runs. AS the erosion
of winds and storms. landslides and glaciers
We're down the mountain ridges year by year,
the great river carried down n vast amount
OF SIT, erosion from the rocks fall of phos.
pilates, lines and dfsintergrated GRANTEES, as
weli as ;ne vegetation along its banks; and
shis was-;lil deposited IA what are now the
sinks OF the Colorado.
As lie mountain tops were worn down, the
rains became less FREQ uent and less in volume
but tae erosion of rocks and river banks, the
tees and vegetable mould torn from the
banks still came down and settled into the
bottom OF the great inland lake. This geogical
process went on from age to age 10 our time,
leaving the Colorado at Yuma a stream bout
half mile wide and being at the present
time about twenty feet deep il the deepest
portion.
1t is not necessary TO remind Californians
THAI ne Spanish missionaries and explorers
called This river thc Colorado because Of the
-eddish color gifts waters. it is the colorado
up ia The Grand Canyon IN Arizoaa and
down past The Needles. But at This time of
the year after Passing the mouth Of the ella,
instead Of the red river it becomes the brown
river II actually looks today as if ten per
cent OF lis flow was silt and only ninety per
cent water.
RICHES OF SOIL WONDERFUL
Bat the object of this story is to call atten-
ton once more, and FOR perhaps the thou-