[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21167-21168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  YUMA CROSSING NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 9, 1999

  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, more than 60 years before the European 
settlement in Jamestown, Virginia and more than 80 years before the 
Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado marched 
across southeastern Arizona in search of the fabled Seven Cities of 
Gold. To supply Coronado's expedition, Captain Hernando de Alarcon 
commanded three ships through the Gulf of California into the mount of 
the Colorado River.
  Spanish explorer Hernando de Alarcon became the first European to 
venture into what is now the southwest portion of the United States 
just below the confluence of Colorado and Gila Rivers. There they made 
use of a geological formation in the Lower Colorado consisting of two 
massive granite outcroppings, known to us as the Yuma Crossing. 
Alarcon's voyage is the first European discovery of the Colorado River, 
and the Crossing became a natural bridge which played an important role 
in the western settlement of the United States.
  Father Eusebio Francisco Kino mapped supply routes to California 
through the Yuma Crossing, a route that would be used in many 
expeditions and by many colonists. Using the knowledge pioneered by 
Father Kino, Captain Juan Bautisma de Anza led more than 200 settlers 
and herds of livestock across the treacherous Colorado River using the 
Yuma Crossing. Once across, Anza traveled westward across the desert to 
San Gabriel then turned north and established the town of San Francisco 
in 1776.
  Kit Carson traveled the Yuma Crossing as he carried dispatches 
between California and New Mexico to report on the United States' 
successful military conquest of California in the war with Mexico in 
1846. It was during the War with Mexico that Lt. Col. Phillip St. 
George Cooke used the Yuma Crossing to establish the Gila Trail, a 
passageway used by California's gold seekers, pioneers, ranchers, 
farmers and military.

[[Page 21168]]

  Yuma Crossing became a strategic military location following the 
Mexican War. Settlers and the Quechan Indians fought for the rights to 
hold ferry operations across the Colorado. In 1852, Fort Yuma was 
established to keep the peace between settlers and the Quechans.
  In addition to its strategic military importance, Yuma became a major 
port town and transportation hub. Steamboats were used to freight 
supplies, as were stagecoach and camel caravan. But as Yuma grew, more 
sophisticated modes of transportation were demanded, the outgrowth of 
which resulted in the development of the Southern Pacific railroad. 
With the establishment of the Southern Pacific, Yuma established itself 
as a major connecting point in the westward expansion of our country.
  Today, the City of Yuma has a population of 60,000 residents, and it 
ranks behind Phoenix and Tucson in population. Aside from its rich 
history, it is endowed with unique ecological resources. With its rare 
combination of arid desert landscape, rugged mountains and river 
wetlands, the natural environment of the area is fascinating. it is the 
uniqueness of this mix of desert, riparian and aquatic habitats that 
have brought the citizens of the City of Yuma and Yuma County to seek 
to designate Yuma Crossing as a National Heritage Area, the first to 
seek such a designation west of the Mississippi.
  Designating Yuma Crossing as a National Heritage Area will help 
preserve Yuma's early heritage and highlight Yuma Crossing's importance 
to opening the American West to exploration and settlement. The 
designation will also serve to preserve and protect its vital wildlife 
habitats and wetlands areas. Yuma Crossing is a vital link in our 
nation's heritage, and it is for these reasons that I am proud to 
introduce legislation that proposes to designate Yuma Crossing as a 
National Heritage Area. I urge my colleagues to support my legislation 
to preserve an important part in the history of the Wild West.

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