Yuma Attractions

  Well, I am going to skim over the rest of Yuma's sites and attractions because I have gotten too bogged down writing about this one area.
  About one mile west of the old Yuma Prison, on the south bank of the Colorado, is Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park. It is well worth a visit. It looks like an army fort and in some respects it was, but its function was as a supply distribution center for the area. Most of the buildings on the site are reconstructions. The old carriage barn has lots of old photographs depicting Yuma in its earlier years. Some of these old photos show the Yuma County Courthouse with a silver dome on it. It does not have a dome anymore. The buildings on the north side of the compound are situated just a few feet from the old bank of the Colorado River. Below the high bank now, in the former river bottom, are hiking and biking trails and a nicely landscaped park area. Yuma Quartermaster Depot was located right at the Yuma Crossing, that shallow ford in the Colorado that was used extensively by travelers of the day.
  Across the river from Yuma, in California, is the old Fort Yuma, once a U.S. Army Cavalry post. Today, Fort Yuma lies on Indian land. This is the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, also known as the Quechan Indian Reservation. The tribe's name is pronounced  QUAT-SAN. The tribal government complex occupies part of the old fort and most of the buildings are still in use, but some are abandoned and dilapidated.
  Nearby is an old mission that is still active. It is one of the oldest buildings in this area. The mission bell chimes at noon every day and can be plainly heard across the river in downtown Yuma.
  Back across the river in Yuma, another fascinating place to visit is the Sanguinetti House Museum. Once a private residence, it is now a historical museum that tells a compelling story of this strategically important area.  All of these areas are well worth a visit.
  The original automobile bridge across the Colorado is the Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge.  It re-opened to traffic in 2002 after being closed since 1988.  It was the original routing of U.S. Highway 80 across the Colorado. It is extremely narrow, barely wide enough for two cars, but that is typical of bridges built during that era. When it was re-opened, it was decided to make it a one-way bridge, with alternating traffic flowing across the bridge guided by traffic lights. The extra space on each side, what little there is of it, now serves as pedestrian walkways. This bridge runs right alongside the railroad bridge.  The bridge was closed to traffic from 1988 until 2002. It was built in 1914 and 1915 and opened to traffic in 1915. It was the first automobile bridge across the Colorado and its served as a vital transportation link for about 60 years.
  Across the river from Yuma, on the California side, is the little town of Winterhaven. Winterhaven has about 500 people and is two miles north of Yuma. This community is an enclave of land that is surrounded by the Quechan Indian Reservation, but is not part of the reservation. Winterhaven lies just to the north of Interstate 80. From Winterhaven, there is a very clear view of the Yuma County Courthouse, a whitewashed building missing its dome that stands out in Yuma's downtown business district. The rest of downtown Yuma can be seen very clearly from Winterhaven as well. 
 The two most iconic images of Yuma are the Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge and the guard tower at the Yuma Prison. These two structures are part of Yuma's legacy.