Quartzsite Arizona
Quartzsite is located near the Colorado River 125 miles west of Phoenix at the junction of Interstate 10 and U.S. 95. It is in La Paz County, Arizona. The town is 870 feet above sea level and has a Mohave Desert setting. The Colorado River lies only 17 miles to the west and topographic relief is provided by the nearby Kofa, New Water and Plomosa Mountains. It was founded on the site of Old Fort Tyson in 1867. Old Fort Tyson is a privately built structure constructed by Charles Tyson for the protection against Indian raids in 1856. The name Quartzite was coined because of quartz being occasionally found in the area. Quartzite evolved to Quartzsite because of an error in spelling.
With a population of 3,550 as of 2004 U.S. Census, the town of Quartzsite was incorporated in 1989. Tourism plays a major role in the town’s economy. Approximately 1.5 million people visit the town annually because of popular tourist attractions such as nine-major gem, mineral and 15 general swap-meeting shows. Quartzite is also surrounded by quartz, limonite cubes, gold and agates are considered as a rock-hunter’s paradise. The Spanish wall, Crystal Hill, Tyson Tank and Tyson Wells are also a few of the historic and scenic spots in the area.
