The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926 Page: 204
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Southwestern Historical Quarterly
hitherto used by the emigrants is ten miles below the junction of
the River- but owing to the scarsity of grass at that point we
determined upon crossing at the Comflux-"4 Accordingly, we
launched our Boat the evening of the 12th and the 14th landed
ourselves safely on the west side- In the mean time & before
we had commenced crossing a party of Mexicans came up, eighteen
in number, who we also passed safe over Jordon, for the trifleing
remuneration of $60- The Gila and Colorado unite and form
a large basin, on the East side of a small Mountain and thence
flow directly West-through the Mountain, or between the two
Mountains- the passage being about one hundred yards in width-
the channel deep and current rapid- A wall of solid rock rises
on each side of the Stream, perpendicular to the height of about
three hundred feet-from the summit of these peaks is a view
both grand and beautiful- three Rivers as it were, starting
from your feet, and running in triangular directions till lost in
the distance. Col. Collier, the newly appointed collector at the
port of San Francisco with his escort of Dragoons-and Mr. Au-
derbon,"4 the Naturalist, with a company from New York came
up and crossed while we were at this place-Here was the first in-
stance of distress that I had seen on the road- Many of these
men had not a days provisions on hand--and some were entirely
"Fort Yuma was established at this point, on the California side, in the
latter part of 1850. There was a ferry some ten miles below, probably
operated by the Indians. A gang of lawless men, emigrants from Texas
it was said, seized the ferry, and plundered the emigrants. The people
of southern California entreated the Military Commander of California,
Percifer F. Smith, to establish a fort for the protection of the incoming
citizens. Before the fort was established by Major Heintzleman in Novem-
ber, 1850, the Indians had had their revenge by killing most of the gang
of "cutthroats," and running the rest under cover. Things were then
quiet at Yuma until the Fort was abandoned, in December, 1851, because
of the difficulty in provisioning it. Major Heintzleman re-established the
garrison as a permanent fort in February, 1852. After this, private enter-
prise established a ferry to rival the Indians, and a little later there were
two ferries operated by companies of white men. Yaeger and Company
seem to have been the more successful in the ferry business, for they
secured the business of the two overland mail companies (see page
In connection with the ferry they operated a store, and later a hotel.
Bancroft, Arizona and New Mexico, 488; Report of Percifer F. Smith in
House Executive Documents, 31 Cong., 1 Sess., 79; Bartlett's Narrative,
II, 177; Hayes's Scraps, Southern California, I, 46.
"Audubon's Western Journal, 163; part of the entry for October 14
reads,- "truly we looked, and are, a forlorn spectacle, and we feel, I am
sure, worse than we look. . . . Mr. Harris treated us with the greatest
kindness, and aided us with provisions to the best of his abilities, and we
most sincerely wish him and his amiable wife all happiness and comfort."204
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 29, July 1925 - April, 1926, periodical, 1926; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117141/m1/224/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.