Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites National Historic Landmark: An Archaeological Perspective

This is a partial document containing only the portion of the full report relating to the water facility.

A water facility, including a water storage tank and a pumphouse had been constructed at the Quartermaster Depot by 1869. The water tank, a stone masonry building approximately 34 ft east-west by 22 ft north- south in size, exists at present and is owned by the State of Arizona. The pumphouse or enginehouse, located to the north of the tank just above the Colorado River, was present in 1912 but is not shown on 1930's and 1940's maps. On early 1870's and 1880's maps, the pumphouse is approximately 20 ft north-south by 40 ft east-west in size. The pumphouse is shown on a 1902 map as 30 ft by 81 ft (east-west); on a post-1912 map the building is shown as 26 by 76 ft (east- west).

At present, the presumed area of the pumphouse is defined by a surface scatter of historic artifacts and by five fragments of structural concrete. Neither the artifacts nor the concrete feature can be specifically attributed to the pumphouse.

The area was mapped and artifacts were systematically collected from the surface of eight, five ft square units in order to determine if this material could be attributed to a specific time period. The majority of this material dates to a recent period (eg., 1950's to present ) and is probably the result of the area's use by transients.