Yuma Area Information
Initially there were several tribes of Native Americans in Yuma.Quechan Indians have a reservation here across the Colorado River north of downtown Yuma. Cocopah Indians also have a reservation in three separate parts. One is WNW of the city right on the Colorado River where it borders Arizona California and Mexico; one further south along the river; and one south of Yuma. In 1540 expeditions under Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz visited here and immediately saw the natural crossing of the Colorado River was an ideal spot for a city. From the 1850s through the 1870s the Yuma Crossing was known for its steamboat crossing and spot for them to stop on the way up and down the river. The steamboats transported passengers and equipment for the various mines and military outposts. Yuma served as the gateway to the new western territory of California as it was one of the few natural spots to cross the very wide Colorado River. The Southern Pacific Railroad bridged the river in 1870 and helped continue Yuma as a major hub in the desert southwest. Yuma became the county seat for the area in 1864. Farmous farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez was born and spent much of his life in Yuma.In 1997 the desert city sustained a full tropical storm after Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado River and quickly moved due north along it. The extraordinarily rare event cut power to 12000 customers in Yuma and dropped 3.59 inches or over 90mm of rain at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.
Statistics & Facts
The population of Yuma is approximately 86,070 (2004).
The approximate number of families is 22,689 (1990).
Yuma elevation is 137 - 200 feet above sea level.
Location
Yuma location: in extreme southwestern Arizona on the border with California not far from the Mexico border.
Climate & Weather
Yuma average annual rainfall is 2.94 inches per year
Yuma average temperature is (January) 65 degrees F.
The average low temperature is 53.5 degrees F.
The average high temperature is 87.3 degrees F.
History
Father Eusebio Francisco Kino first saw the Yuma Crossing as a way to enter California. It was a century later when another priest, Father Francisco Garces, rediscovered the crossing in his own search for a route by land to California. Two missions were established here in 1779 by Father Garces. During the last major uprising by the Yuma Indians, Father Garces and all the settlers were killed in a raid. Again the crossing faded away. It wasn't until Kit Carson, the famous cowboy, discovered it once again 50 years later that the crossing became a permanent settlement during the time of the California Gold Rush in the late 1840's. You may find a brief History of Yuma on this page, along with other basic Yuma facts. More history information about early Yuma.
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