"The town of Quartzsite is located on the site of old Fort Tyson, a privately owned fort built in 1856 by Charles Tyson for protection against Indians. Because of the water which existed at this place, Tyson's Wells soon became a stage station on the road from Ehrenburg to Prescott. In 1875 Martha Summerhayes described this place as being the most melancholy and uninviting that she had ever seen, saying that it "reeks of everything unclean, morally and physically..."
Although Hinton lists Tyson's as being the same place as Los Posos, maps show that the tow were seperate, Los Posos lying about four miles to the east of Tyson's. Gradually as the stage lines disappeared, Tyson's Wells was abandoned.
In 1897, the development of mining in the area resulted in a small boom. It was reported that Tyson's Wells had three stores, two saloons, and a short-lived post office. Apparently when it became necessary to re-open the post office because of renewed mining activity, a new name had to be found since the post office did not permit offices to re-open the post office under formerly used names. Therefore, George Ingersoll suggested the name Quartzsite, since quartzsite is actually found in the vicinity, but quartz is not. However, the post office in error apparently added an "s" to the name. The resulting "Quartzsite" erroneously implies that quartz is found locally. Actually Quartzsite is approximately nine miles east of the old Tyson's Wells which lay nineteen miesl from Ehrenberg. Therefore, a different name was doubly suited.
Travelers through Quartzsite today may visit the grave of Hadji Ali, who was a camel driver for Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale on his trip across Arizona. Hadji Ali (b. Syria c. 1829; d. December 16, 1902) who was known as Phillip Tedro in later years, came to Arizona as a camel driver in 1856. When camels were abandoned for use of transportation of supplies, Tedro kept several animals and used them to haul freight in southern Arizona. He was then living in Arizona City (now known as Yuma). In 1868 he turned the animals loose near Gila Bend. For many years it was reported that camels were seen in the mountains and other parts of southwestern Arizona. The simple headboard for his grave was replaced by the present stone monument and plaque in 1934. His name has been anglicized to "Hi Jolly".
P.O. Est. as Tyson's June 6, 1893. Discontinued September 21, 1895.
P.O. est September 19, 1896.
Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.) Arizona
Place Names University of Arizona Press. 1960
p. 384
Arizona Department of Commerce Community Profiles- Quartzsite, Arizona
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/commasst/comm/qrtzsite.pdf
Quartzsite, Arizona Local Government Homepage
http://www.ci.quartzsite.az.us/
Quartzsite, Arizona Chamber of Commerce
http://www.quartzsitechamber.org/
http://www.westernnews.com/quartzsite.htm
Quartzsite Public Library
PO Box 2812 / 465 N. Plymouth Ave. Quartzsite, Arizona 85346
928-927-6593
http://www.quartzsitelibrary.com/
Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog
Gold deposits near Quartzsite, Arizona / by Edward L. Jones, Jr.
TN413.A7
J64x 1915
Quartzsite Arizona, no ordinary place : a mini-history / by Leland Feitz
; with photographs by Billie Casey.
F819
.Q3 F4x
Snowbird mating season / Bernita Jackson Brown ; illustrated by Paul
Winer ; [edited by Jerra Davis and Jean Long].
HQ1063
.B76x 1992
Items on the Arizona and Southwest Index
Quartzsite Arizona No Ordinary Place: a Mini History
CE EPH DTO-QUARTZSITE.3
Quartzsite Pioneer: Bill Keisers Lost Mines & Prospectors Lore
CE EPH ML-35
Photograph: Historical Marker Commemorating Hi Jolly, Cameldriver &
Scout; Quartzsite, Arizona
CP SPC 118:1-2
Last Updated: July 24, 2002
If
you would like to know more about the author of this site, Jeffrey Scott,
feel free to visit his homepage.
In
addition, if you have any questions about this site or Arizona History,
feel free to e-mail Jeffrey