There has been some confusion regarding the origin of the name Yuma. It seems probable that it doesnot, as has been suggested, reflect the title of a hereditary chief Yahmayo ("son of the captain"), but that the word Yuma derives from the habit this tribe had of making huge fires to induce rain, creating the a tremendous amount of smoke in the process, and that their name in consequence comes from the Old Spanish word umo, meaning smoke. Yuma is only one of the four original counties in Arizona which still retains its original boundaries. The county encompasses 6,390,400 acres. The first county seat was at La Paz but since 1870 it has been at Yuma, the principal city in the county. Mining from the first was among teh chief industries of Yuma county. Today agriculture is also of prime importance."

Barnes, Will C.; Granger, Byrd (ed.). Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1960
p. 367
 

"In 1860, Mowry, elected first and second delegate to congress, but not admitted, got out a mpa of Arizona, dividing it into four counties: Castle Dome, Ewell, Mesilla, and Dona Ana. "The present Yuma county was called Castle Dome. Pima county was designated as Ewell. Mesilla county extended eastward clear to the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Dona Ana extended eastward to west boundary of Texas. The bill, known as the Gwin measure, creating this Arizona, never passed Congress." Farish.

When first territorial legislature met and organized for business, 1864. Yuma was one of the four counties named in the bill. So called for the Yuma Indians."

Barnes, Will C. Arizona Place Names. University of Arizona Press. 1997
p. 498

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Websites

County Profile-Arizona Department of Commerce
http://www.commerce.state.az.us/pdf/county/yuma.pdf

Local Government Website
http://www.co.yuma.az.us/

Arizonan.com- Yuma County
http://arizonan.com/YumaCounty

Yuma Metropolitan Planning Organization
http://www.ympo.org/

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Cities of County

San Luis
Somerton
Wellton
Yuma-County Seat

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Sites to See

Yuma County Library District
http://www.yumalibrary.org/

Arizona Historical Society--Rio Colorado Division, Yuma
140 Madison Ave., Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 782-1841
http://www.yumalibrary.org/ahs/

Quechan Tribal Museum
PO Box 1899 Yuma, Arizona 85366

Yuma Territorial Prison State Park
1 Prison Hill RoadYuma, Arizona 85364
(928) 783-4771
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/yuma.html

Yuma Crossing State Historic Park
201 N. 4th Avenue Yuma, Arizona 85364
(520) 329-0471
http://www.pr.state.az.us/parkhtml/yumacross.html
 

Books/Manuscripts found in the ASU Library Catalog

History Books for Reference

Anza, Garces, And The Yuma Frontier : During The Era Of The American Revolution / by Cliff Trafzer.
 F817 .Y9 T7x

Yuma, Arizona : Yuma County, City of Yuma, Yuma Project : U.S.R.S. Premier Project.
F817.Y9 Y9x 1987

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