Lower Colorado River

One thing particularly striking (to me), is that this single track bridge is one of only three railroad bridges (Parker and Needles are the other two) crossing the Colorado from California, and the Parker crossing receives very little traffic. Thus the massive volume of transcontinental freight traffic from So. California and the LA/Long Beach ports is dependent on two single track bridges, both of which are close to 100 years old.

Headed off for about 100 miles of crossing remote desert.

St. Thomas Indian Mission, at the north end of the Yuma bridge, in Ft Yuma Indian Reservation, CA

Sunset, from the north end of the Yuma bridges, in Ft Yuma Indian Reservation, CA, looking over a park that seems to be largely abandoned.

An abandoned California Inspection station on the former US 80 (see: Ft Yuma Indian Reservation, CA (2296) )

I was impressed with the historic preservation efforts in Yuma. There are two historic sites in Yuma, the Territorial Prison and the Quartermaster Depot, that were both Arizona State Parks but the state of Airzona ended funding of them and the city of Yuma took over funding and management. The Quartermaster Depot (I did not visit the Territorial Prison) had very helpful staff and good descriptions of the role of Yuma in the colonization/conquest of the area by European settlers and of the subsequent industrialization through the damming, channeling, and bridging of the Colorado. This particular picture is of the first Army outpost built in Yuma and illustrates that the U.S. officer learned how to build for the heat from the indigenous people, including building very wide porches and using very thick adobe-based walls. See: azstateparks.com/Parks/YUQU

A key reason for visiting the Quartermaster Depot was its extensive history of the 'controlling' of the Colorado River. Prior to the damming of the Colorado, the river varied tremendously in volume and changed course frequently. This picture was taken after the first major dam was built in 1909 (show in later pictures) at a time when the Colorado still frequently flooded vast areas. In the picture within the picture, the Ocean-to-Ocean bridge, which was built in 1915, would be just out of the picture at about the center right. The Territorial Prison building is on the cliff on the far side of the river in that picture. (Also see adjacent picture and pictures #0869 or #0871).

From almost the same spot that overlooks the broad body of water in the adjacent (#0901) picture. As the tree growth suggests, this are has been dry for close to 100 years.

In 1909 Laguna Dam was built upstream of Yuma and extensive canals were built to deliver irrigation (and drinking) water. A major obstacle, however, for getting water from those canals to the agricultural Yuma valley was that water diverted from the dam had to cross the Colorado. A siphon was built to take water from the canal on the California side of the river, carry it under the river, and deliver it to the canals on the Arizona (Yuma) side of the river. This diagram shows the depth and length of the siphon; the siphon was completed in 1912 (see subsequent pictures). Resources describing the siphon include a somewhat too dramatic video ( www.usbr.gov/lc/yuma/facilities/siphon/video ) and ( www.usbr.gov/projects/Project.jsp?proj_Name=Yuma%20Project )

I had not heard of the siphon and was surprised by the technology used at the time (1912) -- and still working. This photo is of a display about the tunnel (siphon) under the Colorado River. Illustrating the size of the siphon tunnel, note that in the picture of the tunnel there is a man standing on the side of tunnel at a point that appears to be about halfway through it.

The Yuma end of the siphon, I could not get close to the California end of the siphon

Screenshot of a satellite view of the siphon that goes under the Colorado.

The Yuma main canal that runs through suburban Yuma and down to the fields south of Yuma. I'm not accustomed to seeing irrigation canals running through residential areas -- somehow that doesn't seem to happen in California.

It also seemed surprising to see canals that made 90 degree turns. Here the main canal goes straight (to my left and not visible) and also turns at a 90 degree angle -- the visible canal going to the horizon. In all, a seemingly far more complex canal structure than I'm used to seeing in California -- all built in the early 1900's.

This is not actually meant to be a picture of the canal, but instead of something that was initially very disturbing. I had just taken a photo to my right when I noticed this man (standing on an outcropping into the canal) throwing a small body into the canal. The body appeared to be the size of a small child and I immediately had fears of witnessing the end of a major crime. As the body was over the canal, I saw its legs moving and realized it was a dog. The next thought that came to mind was that he was dumping an ill or unwanted dog into the canal. This and subsequent photos are close croppings of much larger photos – I didn’t have time to change lens. If you look at the larger picture, you can see the dog in his hands.

After throwing the dog, he then just turned and started walking away, adding to my concern that he was just disposing of a dog. In the larger picture you can barely see the head of the dog in the middle of the canal.

As I was getting closer, the dog climbed out of the canal, wagging its tail and running up to its owner, seemingly happy. The man put a leash on the dog, and they strolled away, apparently towards home, the dog wagging his tail and acting completely normal.