Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park
Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park | |
---|---|
Location | Yuma, Arizona, United States |
Coordinates | 32°43′36″N 114°37′36″W / 32.72667°N 114.62667°W |
Elevation | 120 ft (37 m) |
Established | 1997 |
Governing body | Arizona State Parks |
Website | www |
Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, formerly Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, and now one of the
, US.The Yuma Quartermaster Depot was an important quartermaster depot during the 1870s. Goods were shipped up the Colorado River from the Gulf of California and stored at Yuma for distribution to the desert frontier forts in the Southwestern United States territories.
History
Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park is on the grounds of the former Yuma Quartermaster Depot. The depot was established by the U.S. Army in 1864 to store and distribute supplies to frontier army posts in what is now Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.[1][2] One purpose of the depot was to ensure that a six-month supply of much needed goods such as ammunition, food and clothing was on hand at all times. The goods and supplies were brought to Yuma from California aboard ships that traveled around the Baja California peninsula and up the Gulf of California to Port Isabel, Sonora at the mouth of the Colorado River. Supplies were shipped up the Colorado on river boats to Yuma and stored at the Yuma Quartermaster Depot.[1]
The supplies gathered at the quartermaster depot were shipped throughout the southwest via river boats and overland on
The
The Yuma Quartermaster Depot fell into a state of disrepair in the years following 1949. Some of the facilities were used by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other governmental agencies.
Historical park
Five buildings left over from the quartermaster depot days remain at the park.
The Yuma Crossing Foundation established an agreement with the state parks board to manage, develop and operate the site as a living history museum. After seven years of construction and rebuilding the park was opened to the public in 1997 as Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. The park is part of the
As of 2014, the park includes the Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Coach Car-S.P. X7, which is separately listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Facilities
Historic exhibits
Four of the five original buildings house historic exhibits. The storehouse details the history of the Colorado River and the
The park is open to picnicking. A day use facility under a shade ramada is available for group use with reservations. Picnic tables are available throughout the park as is one pavilion.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park & City of Yuma Visitor Center". Arizona State Parks. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ a b c "History of Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park". Arizona State Parks. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
- ^ a b "Facilities". Arizona State Parks. Retrieved 2009-11-30.