December 20 (Wednesday)
We headed back into
downtown Yuma today. This time to see the Sanguinetti House Museum. They have a
temporary steamship era display in the house in addition to the regular house
tour.
A docent led the
tour and told us some interesting facts about the steamship era as well as EF
Sanguinetti, a very successful entrepreneur in Yuma.
The first part of the tour focused on the steamship era and the colorful characters that were a part of it.
Passage on a steamship was not very glamorous. It was dirty, noisy and hot.
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| Ships wheel from the St Vallier which sunk in the River.....twice. This is the original wheel and is nearly 150 years old. |
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| The food was bad. |
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| .....and it was hot |
Two famous captains were Jack Mellon and Isaac Polhamus.
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| Jack Mellon was fron Nova Scotia |
Sometimes the steamboat captains needed some ingenuity to get past barriers in the river.
The steamers loaded their cargo at La Bomba, or further down in the delta of the Colorado River. The ocean-going ships would make their way into the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez). They made their way up river to Yuma, and beyond. Once the Laguna Dam was built in 1930, that effectively ended the era of the steam ship.
The remainder of the tour dealt with the Sanguinetti era. He was an entrepreneur that built a fortune in mercantile in Yuma. He owned a large store and at one time was the largest employer in Yuma. His store(s) carried groceries, hardware, mining supplies, building supplies and clothing.
When mining was in full swing in the area, EF had 400 mules that he would use to haul supplies to the mines, and prepare area farms. He accepted gold and silver from the mines to pay for goods at his stores.
He also invested in the stock market that nearly bankrupted him. Cotton futures crashed and he lost nearly a million dollars. He borrowed money to cover his losses and paid back every cent.
EF, as he was known, was interested in agriculture. He helped lead the effort to build the Laguna Dam to ensure a steady and reliable flow of water in the arid valley. He farmed 1500 acres of alfalfa and produce.
Sanguinetti worked hard. He was at his stores from early morning until late in the evening. He had three children, but was separated form his wife. He had a housekeeper that helped raise his children.
He spoke four languages. His native Italian, English, Spanish and a native Indian language, Quechan.
EF Sanguinetti built this house in downtown Yuma, just across the street from his businesses. The foot-thick adobe walls provided natural air conditioning (cool).
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| Dining room looking toward the sitting room. |
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| Sitting room |
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| Toward the Dining room. |
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| Although not original, the ceiling looked like this with the open beams and the Arrow wood thatching. This would have been covered with the roofing material. |
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| the ice box. the ice would be placed on the shelf in the upper left compartment. |
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| The kitchen |
The grounds around the house and shops in the area are very colourful.
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| Orange Bougainvillea. That's a a new colour to me. |
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| Nope, don't know the name.....but it was pretty! |
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| Huge Bougainvillea |
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| Bamboo |
After all this hard work we earned some lunch, so we went next door to the Garden Cafe. (also recommended by Bruce!) We were treated to the birds, and a great Tortilla Soup.
Outside we were treated to this view....very interesting cloud formation, or maybe just a jet trail.
The sunset was very nice tonight. That was Our View From Here!
