Yuma Vacations, Yuma Vacation Reviews, Tourism Guide

Yuma Vacation Guide

The area's first settlers were Native American Tribes, whose descendants occupy the Cocopah and Quechan reservations near the city. 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. Famous 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 12,000 customers in Yuma, and dropped 3.59 inches or over 90mm of rain at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.