The Parker post., 1914-01-24
PASSING OF
EHRENBERG
OLDEST POSTOFFICE ALONG COL
ORADO RIVER DISCONTlNUED
BY DEPARTMENT-E DAY
HISTORY RECALLED.

On the first da of January, 1914,
so far as the United States postof-
| flee directory was concerned, there
passed away one of the oldest land
marks in the southwest. On that
date the postoffice at Ehrenberg, Ari-
IONA, was discontinued and the mail
addressed to that place is now de-
livered at Blythe.
Ehrenberg was the oldest office on
the Colorado river and the second
oldest in the new state of Arizona,
having been established in 1858, when
the first overland stage route was es-
tablished, which was known as the
Butterfield route. The old Butter
field stage came by the way of Ell
Paso, Texas, Tucson, Gila City, where
L. crossed the Gila river, thence on to
Ehrenberg, where the route crossed
the Colorado At Ehrenberg was
the only ferry used on this, the first
continental stage line.
Along in the fifties gold was dis
covered near Ehrenberg and the town
came nto existence. About 1860
postoffice was established at La Paz
and it became the first county seat
of Yuma county. La Paz passed out
of existence many years ago and to-
day there is not a single building left
CT n6ino in thic f1nuric n in O
town, which in 1870 contained a pop
ulation of about 5000 people. The
business of La Paz moved to Ehren-
berg and for years it continued to
| flourish in a way.
Filipe Gonzalez, age "a years, now
| living in Blythe, was born in Ehren-
berg. Sus Daniels. also resident of
| Blythe came to Ehrenberg over 40
years ago and was the postmaster at
| that place for twelve years. Amos
| Adams, better known as "Dad,' who
| is now a resident of Blythe, came to
Ehrenberg in 1870. When Adams first
went there the place was what might
| be termed an old town and was a
| flourishing place, being the distribut-
| ing point for a large section of coun-
try Adams estimates that the popu-
lation of Ehrenberg in 1870 was at
least 1900 and La Paz at that time
had a population of at least $500.
AS is the case with all mining
towns, Ehrenberg had a number of
saloons that did flourishing busi-
ness Gold dust was one of the prin
there was a scarcity of means to
weigh the gold, spoons were often
used to weigh the dust. In that way
much of the gold dust spilled on the
floors of the saloons and places of
business. The floors of most of these
| places being of earth, the gold was
not gathered up until later years, ,whe1
the dirt floors of the buildings were
gathered up and carried to the river
banks where it was washed and much
gold was thus obtained.
| All that is left of Ehrenberg today
in a BUSINESS way, are two saloons
and there are less than a dozen in
habitants living there.
| While the postoffice department, in
so far as it is concerned, may wipe
Ehrenberg off the map, yet like it's
departed sister town of La Paz, she
will live long in the memory of every
old-timer of the Colorado river valley,
for it has played a very important
part in the drama that has been going
on here in the southwest for more
than a half century, but like many
it is but a simple land mark on the
roadside to prove to the passerby
that the wheels of progress are really
moving and the old time ruts are be-
ing abandoned.
Peace be to the ashes of old Ehren-
berg. But who knows, that at some
time in the near future, phoenixlike
she may arise and become the trad
ing center of vast mining district?
To the east of the old adobe town is
one of the richest undeveloped min ing
sections in the state of Arizona, and
it may be possible that Ehrenberg
will again come into her own.-Blythe
Herald
1n@HeI-I@A