The Coconino sun., 1922-04-21
YUMA'S DREAM REALIZED IN OPENING
 OF YUMA MESA

toric event having been celebrated Easter Sunday, April 16, 1922, by an immense outpouring of people from all over Arizona and California to commemorate the occasion.
 This has been Yuma's dream for the past two decades. Now that the silt-laden waters of the Colorado river are flowing in an inexhaustible sup ply over these frostless lands 1t Is confidently expected that within the next few years these famous lands will be covered with oranges, grape fruit, lemons, dates, figs and grapes, for it has been perfectly demonstrated that all these fruits will grow to their greatest known perfection on the Yu- ma Mesa. Indeed these lands were officially characterized by the late la mented Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane as "the only frost less belt in the United States," and this was more than proven during the last winter when all the balance of the citrus fruit belt of the west suf- fered more or less from the ravages of frost.
 The Yuma Mesa first came into the lime-light on December 10, 1919, when by special Act of Congress, the Sec retary of the Interior was instructed to open the first unit. This was done by means of public auction sale of something over 5000 acres. Sufficient funds were derived from this sale to begin the construction of the neces- sary canals and pumping plant to place water on a portion of the land sold. The land was sold at min- imum of $225 per acre, in four an- nual payments, the deferred pay ments drawing six per cent per an mum. Buyers were present from al- most every state in the union. At that time there was no limit to the loose money in the country, and as result there was no trouble in dispos- ing of these unsurpassed lands. Yuma citizens purchased freely, not stop ping to think that possibly the after effects of the war might make money matters more stringent, which proved to be the fact. As a result of this stringency in the money market a good many of those who purchased ldIlu Ou lllc ulld 4htod dt IuC SON- ernment auction sale now find them selves up against it." Some of them are willing to transfer at least part of their holdings, and some very rare bargains in five, ten and twenty acre units can be had. When these lands were purchased they were nothing but a desert waste. It was a gamble, pure and simple, as to whether or not the Government could put irrigation water on them. If it could be done the purchasers figured they would have the best citrus fruit, early vegc- table and grape land in all the world. The Government has made good" It has erected the finest pumping plant ever erected in the United States and on Easter Sunday it was clearly dem onstrated that there is sufficient water to irrigate every acre of land that was sold at public auction.
 In the meantime the man who had plenty of money in 1919 is now placed in a position where he must turn loose" - all the more his misfortune. His holdings are "Unit B." on the Yuma Mesa, would be worth for tune, if they were located in the proven orange belt of California. But they are in Arizona, separated only from California by the Colorado river. As matter of fact there isn't an acre of citrus fruit land in the entire state of California that can begin to com- pare with the lands on the Yuma Mesa, for the oranges, grapefruit, dates and figs grown on the Yuma Mesa are so much earlier matured than anywhere else in the United States that practically all the fruit is ripe, harvested and sold long before similar fruits are ripe enough to ship from California. But all this does the holder of some of these lands no good, when he is "broke, down and out If he could "hold on" he knows his fortune would be made, but he must meet his obligations, therefore he must sell at sacrifice.
 The celebration Easter Sunday demonstrated that Yuma is now in the lime-light to stay. With her un- surpassed valley lands, almost every acre of which is in a high state of cultivation, and with the Yuma Mesa lands now furnished with an abun- dance of irrigation water places Yuma in the very first rank of early fruit and vegetable growing. It is confi- dently expected that the year 1923 will see many thousands of acres of these rich valley and Mesa lands con verted into truck farms. Being sev- eral weeks earlier than even the great Imperial Valley would clearly indi- cate that Yuma is destined to be the early garden market of the United States. There will be no competition with Imperial Valley, for, as already stated, Yuma truck and fruit is har- vested and sold long before the most favored sections of California are ready to ship. That makes the Yuma Mesa lands almost priceless, and the day is rapidly approaching when this will be proven fact.
 The Yuma Chamber of Commerce. and every citizen in Yuma, will al- ways extend the hand of welcome to | all who enter the city. Secretary |. | W. Alexander, of the Chamber of | Commerce, will be glad to furnish de- | tailed information on request.
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