Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, Military supply depot in Yuma, Arizona, United States.
Colorado River State Historic Park occupies the grounds of the former Yuma Quartermaster Depot, where five buildings from the depot days remain, including the quartermaster's office, a storehouse, the commanding officers quarters and a corral house. Outdoor exhibits add ramadas, a steam boiler, a stone-built reservoir and an encampment of wagons.
The U.S. Army established the depot in 1864 to keep a six-month supply of ammunition, food and clothing for posts in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Goods arrived by ship via the Gulf of California and Port Isabel, then by riverboat to Yuma. The Southern Pacific Railroad reached Yuma in 1877, and the depot closed in 1880 when the railroad reached Tucson; the quartermasters moved to Fort Lowell.
The depot's name survives in the park's earlier title, Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, used until 2017, when it became Colorado River State Historic Park. The grounds host a living history museum run by the Yuma Crossing Foundation, with a house museum in the commanding officers quarters furnished as in the 1870s and a corral house exhibit on Colorado River fish species.
Four of the five surviving depot buildings hold exhibits: the storehouse covers the Colorado steamboat era and mule wagon trains, the quartermaster's office recreates the depot and the weather and telegraph stations, the commanding officers quarters is furnished as in the 1870s, and the corral house shows Colorado River fish. Picnicking is allowed, with tables throughout and a shaded ramada for groups by reservation.
The depot used a steam engine to pump water from the Colorado River and distribute it through pipes across the grounds. This was the first water system of its kind in the region and allowed the facility to operate during dry periods.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,297 contributors worldwide.