Families Gather Along The Colorado River
By Julie Anne Phillipps, for Arizona State Parks Public Information Office
(Phoenix AZ -- December 8, 2003) On a clear, mild date in November, the great, great grandsons and daughters of Yuma’s steamboat pioneers sprawled across the grass on Yuma Crossing State Historic Park grounds where some of the families first lived and worked. Yuma Crossing State Historic Park, in conjunction with the Arizona Historical Society gathered the descendants of families employed with the Colorado River Steamboat operations for the “Colorado River Steam Navigation Pioneer Reunion.”
The descendents came together to share their stories, experiences, and the documents they preserved from the early days of Yuma’s steamboat travel. Carol Brooks, curator for Arizona Historical Society in the Century House Museum in Yuma, said about 75 steamboat family members attended the reunion and dinner. Brooks spent a year finding people to invite to the event. The idea first came to her as a passing thought.
“I just thought ‘wouldn’t it be neat to gather all these families from 100-130 years ago that were in Yuma during those steamboat days." she said.
Brooks knew where three families were located but she had to do some diligent searches of census records, historical books, magazines and news articles of the era. In time, she uncovered the one hundred and forty men who once worked on the steamboats. Some of these men were still living in Yuma. She called each one, “If this were my family member, I would want to know who knew them and if they had stories to tell that could add to my genealogy research," says Brooks.
In the 1800's, the Colorado River was awash with steamboats bringing supplies into the thriving young city of Yuma. November of 1852 marked the arrival of the first steamboat (a side-wheeler named Uncle Sam) powering up the Colorado laden with supplies for Fort Yuma and by 1863 steam boats also bought in supplies for the Quarter Master Depot, now the site of Yuma Crossing State Historic Park. Throughout the latter part of the 1800's, river trade continued to boom as steamboats shipped military supplies, passengers, and goods to new mines along the river, and for the burgeoning Arizona populace. The Willcox family was one of three families who started the Steamboat Company in 1850.
Although Brooks had not previously contacted the Wilcox family when she found a Wilcox collection on the internet, she requested information on who donated the collection. Later she received a call from one of the Wilcox sons, who along with another member of family came to the Steamboat Pioneer Reunion. Many participants came great distances to attend; one flew in from the Cayman Islands, and others traveled from Tennessee, Northern California, and Nevada.
Among the early steam boaters working the river were Captains’ Wilcox, Robinson, Near, Orr, Johnson and Isaac Polhamus; these men also made their homes on the Yuma Quarter Master’s grounds, which seemed reason enough for Gerry Emert, park manager at Yuma Crossing State Park to jump at an opportunity to get involved with the reunion project.
“Part of the interpretive program at the park is the early steam boats that supported the Quarter Master’s Depot,” said Emert adding, “We often work closely with the Arizona Historical Society, and we felt this was another good project to share.”
Yuma Crossing State Park and the Historical Society both display artifacts from the Polhamus Family Collection. For the reunion, Brooks requested each family bring a small exhibit about their family, and was impressed with the photographs and documents on display for the day.
Kristine Quintero donated her family’s exhibit and a three-ring binder of family history to the historical society. The photographs were scanned and preserved, and may be available for viewing in the future. (Contact Carol Brooks at azhistyuma@cybertrails.com) “For many families it [the reunion] was a great time to trade stories, and to hear new tales that they had never heard in their families,” said Ms. Brooks adding "They are looking forward to next year,” when she hopes to hold the event again.
Captain Polhamus served on the Colorado River for many decades. Born in New York, he joined his steamboat captain father on boat trips up and down the Hudson. In 1877, the first train from San Francisco arrived at Yuma as shippers took advantage of faster, cheaper service; and the steamboat business plummeted. Polhamus tried to save the river business by printing posters advertising departure and arrival times and promoting pleasure excursions. Despite Isaac’s efforts, March 1909 saw the Laguna Dam open for irrigation and flood control, and the death of the first steamboat business. The steamboat business launched into history almost a hundred years ago, but the families of steamboat pioneers live on sharing their memories and their dreams.