Betty’s Kitchen Wildlife and Interpretive Area, Yuma, AZ

December 2018. 

Betty’s Kitchen Wildlife and Interpretive Area is along the lower Colorado River, overlooking the Laguna Dam by the Arizona/California border near Yuma, AZ. The only history I could find was on americantrails.org. It states gold placer deposits were found along the east side of the Colorado River in the 1850s. Mining camps were established; however were short lived due to the discovery of gold veins located elsewhere along the river. In the 19th century small farm plots were established and the construction of the Laguna Dam brought numerous homesteaders to the area. A combination café and bar was established during the 1930s or 1940s known as “Betty’s Kitchen”.  It was constructed of adobe, arrowweed and telephone pole segments. In the 1940s to 1961 residential leases were prepared for all residents. The leases were terminated in 1983 by the BLM after the 1983 flood of the Colorado River did extensive damage. It states there is one small adobe-type house still standing about a half-mile west, which we didn’t see.

You can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

Betty’s Kitchen has a parking area, rest rooms, picnic areas and benches and fishing pier along the trail. The half-mile loop trail winds through trees and bushes, some of it along the Laguna Dam, with interpretive signs. There’s a couple other roads which lead to a boat launch area and fishing areas. There were a lot of birds and ducks when we walked through. One of the informational signs states there were numerous fires that also went through the area, destroying much of the work done, and also a flood.