I mentioned that we had just left Quartzsite in last weeks blog and Alan asked if I could write some on Quartzsite and give a few pointers. Well Alan this was our first visit to Quartzsite, and as such we are not experts, but everything is so open and folks there so willing to exchange conversation it does not take long to find your way around.
We were dry camped at Bureau Of Land Management long term camping area at Imperial Dam just north of Yuma. We bumped into Brad and Karen Townsend from Raymond, New Hampshire there, who had been up to Quartzsite before coming to Imperial. Brad was looking for a closed car trailer and itching for an excuse to go back to Quartzsite for a day and they acted as our tour guides on our first day.
Quartzsite is a bump in the interstate between two exits off I-10. The town was originally named Tyson Wells after Charles Tyson discovered a good supply of water in a 35 foot well. He built a building on the site and became the stage stop for the Ehrenburg to Prescott stage line. As a side note an average days stage journey was 25 to 35 miles.
In the mid eighteen nineties the stage line fell victim to the railroads but the discovery of gold in the area led to a short lived resurgence and the name change to Quartzsite because of the large amount of Quartz in the ground. The quality of the ore was not generally good enough to sustain profitable mining and the town once again was on the verge of extinction at the turn of the century.
Census figures show that the population ranged between 14 and 60 from then till 1960. In 1967 Sig Sigurdson donated 4 acres of land to the Quartzsite Improvement Association so that they could hold the first Pow Wow, which was in fact a mineral and gem show. A thousand people braved the desert and warm winter weather to attend. The attendance grew until in 1978 attendance at the show topped one million.
The rest of the development just, as they say, followed the dollar. The town of 60 permanent inhabitants turned host to millions of seller, buyers, sunbirds, and just plain travelers per year. What helps the situation is the Bureau of Land Management camping opportunities surrounding the town. My first though when entering the town was, “I never thought that there were this many RV’s ever built.”
Quartzsite is a huge flea market that is anchored on one end by Paul Wiener, the Naked Book Seller. Well not quite naked as he wears a crocheted sock over his dingy tied on with a G string. Across town and the interstate are the three big tents of the Main Event which during our visit was hosting an RV show, FREE. In between the shows are close to seamless including Rice Farm, Tyson Wells, Main Street, and more.
If desert boondocking is not your thing there are at least 343 campgrounds listed on Google in or near Quartzsite. However we chose the desert. Our choice aided by Brad, was Plomosa Road, 5 or so miles north of town. It is a 14 day area and will cost a whopping 40 bucks. But you need to be self contained all the way. There is plenty of dry camping closer to town but we preferred to be a bit out of the traffic and confusion. There is BLM camping within walking distance to the action.
Beside the shows and the country fair atmosphere and food, check out the old Tyson Wells Stage stop museum and the make sure to get to Hi Jolley’s tomb. Hadji “Hi Jolley” Ali was a man of Greek origin that was recruited by the US Government to herd camels across the desert in the times before the Civil War. The US solders quickly added the nickname Hi Jolly. The Civil War ended the camel program and the animals were turned loose on the desert.
There is one main road north and south through town, Arizona route 95. There is one east west road on either side of the interstate. The down side is traffic. If you have a toad and get into town and find a parking place and are a walker you can do better than trying to find a parking place as you move around town.
The Quartzsite Improvement Association is an on going and active organization. The first night we were in town we found that the QIA was promoting a show featuring the New Christie Minstrels. We lucked into a pair of tickets for the high price of $12 each. We figured that the Lebanon New Hampshire Opera House would have charged us $30 or $40 bucks each. If you visit Quartzsite check the list of activities at the QIA.
Our impression of Quartzsite? It is an absolute hoot for a couple of weeks stay. Will we return to Quartzsite? Absolutely. I hope this helps and if you have a chance go to Quartzsite.
Brad Sears