SEPTEMBER 7, 1983 Honorable Congressman Udall and members of the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee. I am Gwen Robinson and I would like to speak to you as a representative of the Yuma Crossing Park Council, Inc. The purpose of this non-profit corporation is to foster the development of the Yuma Crossing Park along two miles of the Colorado River at Yuma. The park has two major sections. The eastern portion lies within the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites National Historic Landmark (Attachment #1). This natural ford is significant in the history of the opening of the American West. The progression of pathfinders across the river since 1540 included Spanish conquistadors Padre Kino, Kit Carson, The Mormon Battalion and forty-niners to name but a few. Transportation systems utilized woven Indian baskets, ferries, stagecoaches, mule teams, steamboats and the railroad. The development of this historic/ cultural park will serve to interpret a major site in our American heritage. The western section of the park is recreational in scope. This plan utilizes the riparian river oasis as a greenbeltoffering a variety of water-related activites such as fishing, canoeing, swimming and picnicking. The need for more water based recreation is recognized on a state-wide level (Attachment #2). In 1980 the Yuma Crossing Park Council began to integrate conceptual park planning with the Environmental Impact study initiated by the Bureau of Reclamation to address flood control on the Lower Colorado River. We commend the Bureau for the open advisory group meeting process that spanned several months. Every effort was made to accommodate interests within the designated area. The two alternatives proposed in detail for the draft EIS met the needs of the Yuma Crossing Park. However, the Draft EIS had not been published by the time high water release reached the area in June of this year. Extended high flows will impact future park facilities and operations. But primarily our main concerns have to do with the configuration of the land and river channel between the levees. In order to arrive now at a compatible flood control plan we would like to (1) support the continuation of the Environmental Impact statement process by assessing the current situation and incorporating new data concerning the high flows; (2) request that the Bureau of Reclamation gather the new data quickly and therefore publish the EIS as soon as possible and (3) recommend the review of the operation of the reservoir system to determine if improvements in water release management is possible. The Colorado River is primarily a ribbon of life in these desert regions. The needs for flood control and water for agriculture and development must be balanced with the benefits of recreational pursuits and wildlife habitat. Thank you. Gwen Robinson Yuma Crossing Park Council, Inc. PO Box 1583 Yuma, AZ 85364 YUMA CROSSING PARK I. Official Designation In 1964, then-Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall designated the Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites as a National Historic Landmark. The site is significant in the history of the American West. Yuma Crossing served as a vital transportation and communications link across the Colorado River between California and the American Southwest for well over three centuries. The history of Yuma Crossing is a colorful and signifcant narrative of national and regional, as well as local, importance. Ancestors of the present Quechan Indian tribe dwelled in the Yuma Crossing area when the first Spanish explorers, seeking gold and converts, arrived here in 1540. It was the visitation of another Spaniard, Father Kino, in the late 1600s that gave prominence to the Crossing as the best route to California. In the 1770s Father Garces and Captain de Anza pioneered a group of colonists from Mexico to found the city of San Francisco - via Yuma Crossing. In later years, conflicts arose and the Quechans massacred the Spanish at Yuma Crossing in 1781, including Father Garces. And so the Crossing remained closed until the 1840s when the conquest of California and the gold strike of 1849 sent a horde of fortune seekers to the West. The Yuma Crossing was reopened and the ferry business boomed. Military forts were established to protect the travelers and keep the Crossing open. Fort Yuma was established on a bluff on the California side of the Colorado River. With the expansion of the Army's forts in the West came the problem of adequate supplies. the answer. Supplies were shipped from San Francisco around Baja California, up the Gulf of California, and then loaded onto flat-bottomed steamboats which made their way up the Colorado to Yuma. At Yuma, an Army Quartermaster Depot was built in 1862 and became the main distribution point for supplies which sustained 14 frontier Army posts throughout the Southwest. The steamboat era was doomed when the railroad built a bridge across the Colorado River in 1877. But the railroad brought permanency for the modern City of Yuma. It is extremely fortunate that many of the original sites and buildings remain along the banks of the Colorado River at Yuma and are included in the National Historic Landmark. Fort Yuma is now the tribal headquarters for the Quechan tribe. Six of the original Army structures have survived. In Arizona, several buildings of the Quartermaster Depot remain. They include: 1. 2. 3. The Old Customs House and kitchen which is operation. Quartermaster Depot Office and the Reservoir are owned by the State Parks Board and await funding to complete restoration. Teamster quarters and storehouse are owned by the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation and leased to Yuma County Water Users Assn. Legislation has been introduced in Congress to fund the relocation of the Water Users Assn., and the Since During the Bicentennial years (1976), interest was rekindled in the historic aspects of Yuma Crossing. then, individual citizens of Yuma have been actively pursuing a plan to preserve a riverfront area that includes a rich riparian habitat and unifies the various historic sites. A Yuma Crossing Park, encompassing natural habitat, passive recreational pursuits and cultural activity centers has become a well defined goal for park supporters. The area under consideration is outlined on the conceptual plan prepared by the Bureau of Land Management. The boundaries extend within the levee system for approximately two miles, and encompass about 200 acres. Other than the historic sites already mentioned, the City of 1Yuma owns all of the real estate, with two small exceptions: 1) about 11 acres in private ownership, and 2) a small |