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<br />There was considerable difficulty with locomotive boilers caused <br />by brackish water obtained from the shallow wells along the right-of- <br />way, To get better quality water, several deep wells were drilled at <br />one location, and this location became known as Well Town, hence <br />Well ton, Apparently, this water was not of too good a quality as the <br />S,P, later pumped water from the Gila River to a tank on the northwest <br />shoulder of Antelope Hill from whence it flowed by gravity to a tank <br />at Tacna (now a siding called Noah by the S,P,) at Avenue 36, <br />\ ' <br />One source says that "the station of Adonde was moved to the <br />present site of Wellton. On October 18, 1899 the name was changed <br />to Wellton, Robert Gael was placed in charge of the pump, , ." This <br />statement has not been confirmed, <br /> <br />There was a disastrous flood on February 12, 1931 when a c\oud- <br />burst south of Wellton caused Coyote Wash to overflow its banks, Water <br />was four feet deep in part of the business district (Arizona Avenue), <br />Two lives were lost and property damage was extensive, A section of <br />the railroad was washed out and trains were delayed for two days, Such <br />a flood could not take place today due to the protective dike constructed, <br />as a part of this irrigation project, on the south side of Mohawk canaL <br />Runoff from a similar rain would be diverted westerly to Ligurta Wash, <br /> <br />V,S. Highway 80, originally and for many years, was routed through <br />Well ton on Arizona Avenue, The alignment was changed to its present <br />location in 1953. Curb and gutter and other general improvements were <br />added in 1965, Interstate 8, which bypasses Well ton on the south, was <br />opened to traffic on the 32-mile stretch between Mohawk Pass and <br />Ligurta on February 25, 1971. In 1976, Arizona Department of Transpor- <br />tation abandoned the designation "V,S, 80" in Yuma and Maricopa <br />Counties, <br /> <br />A post office was established at Wellton on August 4, 1904, The <br />First National Bank of Arizona opened its Wellton Branch in December, <br />1953, Prior to 1967, there were four small domestic water companies <br />that delivered domestic water to Well ton users, On July 26 of that <br />year a treatment plant and town-wide distribution system were dedicat- <br />ed, the water being obtained from Well ton Canal under contract by <br />this District. The Town of Wellton was incorporated January 19, 1970 <br />with old timer, L, C, "Zeak" Hibbard, as its first mayor, In 197:3, a <br />nine-hole golf course opened in Yuma County's Butterfield Park. The <br />course is maintained by the Town of Wellton, <br /> <br />~ <br />I <br /> <br />'" <br /> <br />'4 <br /> <br />12 <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />'~ <br />