Look Up, Yuma! A Walking Tour of Yuma, Arizona
By Doug Gelbert
5/5
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
Today, when watching people splash in the placid waters of the Colorado River, it takes a leap of imagination to picture the frothy, dangerous waters that flowed through Arizona for millions of years. There was almost no place where it was safe to cross the Colorado and travelers had to come south from the confluence with the Gila River to where modern day Yuma stands to find a place where the granite outcroppings caused a natural narrowing and calming of the river. The United States acquired this region via the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, just in time for the California Gold Rush. It is estimated more than 60,000 gold hunters used L.G.F. Jaeger’s rope ferry across the Colorado River in Yuma to reach the California gold fields between 1850 and 1851, paying $2 a head.
The stream of traffic did not escape the attention of the United States Army which established Fort Yuma in 1852 on a hill overlooking the crossing. A town called Colorado City grew up here but it was washed away by the Colorado River and rebuilt as Arizona City. In 1866 a street grid was laid out with a 100-foot wide Main Street able to handle the most ambitious wagon trains. In 1871 Arizona City was officially incorporated and two years later became Yuma.
In 1876 the Yuma Territorial Prison was established on the banks of the Colorado River with prisoners hacking the first seven cells from the granite walls of granite. Prisoners would keep at work building the notorious prison until it closed in 1909 by which time a total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, had been detained. In 1910 fire destroyed Yuma High School and for the next five years classes were held in the cellblocks and sports teams adopted the nickname, the Yuma Criminals.
In 1916 floodwaters on the Gila River swept into Yuma causing the worst of many floods that ravaged the town. It was also the last major flood, thanks to dams created by the Bureau of Reclamation. After that adobe buildings were banned in downtown Yuma and new construction adopted the newly trendy Spanish Colonial Revival style; in 1925 Main Street was paved for the first time. The streetscape we will encounter in downtown Yuma dates to that era but first we will begin our walking tour of the sunniest place in America along the Colorado River near the crossing that made the town famous...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
Look Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Look Up, Phoenix, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Phoenix, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of A Salem, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Tampa, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Financial District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bordentown, New Jersey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Jacksonville, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Gettysburg! A Walking Tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Toledo! A Walking Tour of Toledo, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Look Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Charleston! A Walking Tour of Charleston, South Carolina: The Battery Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of Georgetown, South Carolina Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Look Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Look Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Look Up, Yuma! A Walking Tour of Yuma, Arizona
Related ebooks
Look Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Phoenix, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Phoenix, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Rome, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSan Pedro Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Baton Rouge! A Walking Tour of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Sacramento! A Walking Tour of Sacramento, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPeoria, Illinois Revisited in Vintage Postcards Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGarden State Parkway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDowntown Phoenix Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDied in Long Beach: Cemetery Tales Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Intentional Leader: How Inner Authority Can Unleash Strong Leadership Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLandmarks and Monuments of Baton Rouge Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wisconsin Supper Clubs Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Time Machine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMount Pleasant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrand Canyon For Sale: Public Lands versus Private Interests in the Era of Climate Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGlasgow and Valley County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRamona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRail-Trails West: California, Arizona, and Nevada Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCrossing California: A Cultural Topography of a Land of Wonder and Weirdness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSoldier Field: A Stadium and Its City Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ireland: 1001 Things You Need to Know Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWineries of the Gold Country Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of LSU Football Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMontezuma Castle - A National Monument, Arizona Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Asbury Park: A Brief History Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lake Tahoe's Railroads Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Life Of Phineas T Barnum: "Money is in some respects life's fire: it is a very excellent servant, but a terrible master." Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Salt Lake City! A Walking Tour of Salt Lake City, Utah Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Phoenix: Including Scottsdale, Glendale, and Mesa Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Special Interest Travel For You
Exploring the Geology of the Carolinas: A Field Guide to Favorite Places from Chimney Rock to Charleston Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Six Flags Over Georgia Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalt Disney World Hacks: 350+ Park Secrets for Making the Most of Your Walt Disney World Vacation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unofficial Disney Parks Drink Recipe Book: From LeFou's Brew to the Jedi Mind Trick, 100+ Magical Disney-Inspired Drinks Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEscape the Wolf: A SEAL Operative’s Guide to Situational Awareness, Threat Identification, a Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die: Outdoor Experts Share the World's Greatest Destinations Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dishoom: The first ever cookbook from the much-loved Indian restaurant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Disney Declassified Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghosts of Salem: Haunts of the Witch City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Longest Way Home: One Man's Quest for the Courage to Settle Down Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frommer's Hawaii Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuying Disney's World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Haunted October: 31 Seriously Scary Ghost Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 12-Hour Walk: Invest One Day, Conquer Your Mind, and Unlock Your Best Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: Traveler's Guide to Batuu Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Canoeing with the Cree: 75th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Historic Haunts of Savannah Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Eerie Florida: Chilling Tales from the Panhandle to the Keys Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Look Up, Yuma! A Walking Tour of Yuma, Arizona
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
Look Up, Yuma! A Walking Tour of Yuma, Arizona - Doug Gelbert
Look up, Yuma! A Walking Tour of Yuma, Arizona
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2012 by Cruden Bay Books
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Today, when watching people splash in the placid waters of the Colorado River, it takes a leap of imagination to picture the frothy, dangerous waters that flowed through Arizona for millions of years. There was almost no place where it was safe to cross the Colorado and travelers had to come south from the confluence with the Gila River to where modern day Yuma stands to find a place where the granite outcroppings caused a natural narrowing and calming of the river. The United States acquired this region via the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in