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May 17

North End Art Walk
Local businesses host artists and musicians
for a FREE evening of entertainment

Yuma AZ

Welcome To Yuma, Arizona – On The River’s Edge

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First incorporated as Arizona City in 1871, Yuma was renamed in 1873 and is now the largest city in Arizona outside the metro areas of Phoenix and Tucson.

Yuma is the county seat and largest city of Yuma County, one of Arizona’s original eight counties. It is the 11th largest city in the state, with an estimated population (2010 Census) of 93,064, up 16.7 percent from the 2000 count of 77,515.

Yuma’s geography shaped the Southwest. Because this was the safest spot to cross the Colorado River, all roads led to Yuma for travelers from Spanish explorers to Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl.
Today Yuma is a vibrant multicultural community that celebrates its rich heritage, surrounded by wide-open spaces and pristine desert scenery – all with a river running through it.
It’s not just snowbirds that flock to Yuma – nearly 400 species of birds make this a seasonal stop or year-round home because of our area’s diverse habitat.
There’s great birding right in the middle of town, thanks to West Wetlands and Gateway parks and the East Wetlands restoration area. Farther afield, Imperial, Kofa and Cibola national wildlife refuges and Betty’s Kitchen Interpretive Area at Mittry Lake provide thousands of acres of diverse desert, mountain and riparian habitat.

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Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
1 Prison Hill Road, Yuma, AZ 85364
928-783-4771

Five Day Schedule: This park is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The park is open from 9 am to 5 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, & Mondays. Note the park will be closed from August 4 – 19, 2012 for summer construction work. This park will resume daily operations October 1, 2012 and will be open from 9 am to 5 pm.
On July 1, 1876, the first seven inmates entered the Territorial Prison at Yuma and were locked into the new cells they had built themselves. Walk through the actual strap iron cells and solitary chamber of Arizona Territory’s first prison. Now a museum, the building houses photographs and colorful exhibits of those who once resided there, and the prison life they had to endure. A total of 3,069 prisoners, including 29 women, lived within the walls during the prison’s 33 years of operation.

Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic ParkYuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, was once the bustling grounds filled with military life, preparing to travel to all parts west. The Yuma Quartermaster Depot was used by the U.S. Army to store and distribute supplies for all the military posts in Arizona, and some in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Texas. Five of the original depot buildings remain on the park grounds. Four of these buildings contain exhibits which cover both the military history of the site and the history of the Bureau of Reclamation’s construction of major irrigation works in the Yuma area during the early 1900s.
The Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park is located within the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area, an area that conserves, and enhances the natural and cultural resources of the community. The park has a visitor center, exhibits, video presentation, gift shop, picnic areas, group use areas, and restrooms.
928-329-0471
201 N. 4th Avenue
Yuma, AZ 85364

Imperial National Wildlife Refuge
The Colorado River and associated backwater lakes and wetlands of Imperial National Wildlife Refuge are a green oasis consisting of over 26,000 acres, Imperial National Wildlife Refuge protects wildlife habitat along 30 miles of the lower Colorado River.
Imperial National Wildlife Refuge also contains more than 15,000 acres of federally designated wilderness that is protected to ensure that nature, not people is the primary influence on this quiet, scenic place. Besides the Visitor Center, Imperial National Wildlife Refuge provides opportunities to hike, fish, hunt, and watch wildlife.
From Yuma: Travel north on Highway 95. Near Milepost 47 turn left onto Martinez Lake Road. Follow Martinez Lake Road west for approximately 10 miles. Turn right onto Red Cloud Mine Road and follow signs directing you to the Visitor Center.