Wellton

Wellton is a small, friendly town about 30 miles east of Yuma that earned its name from being "well town," a watering stop on the railroad line, which remains active today.

The town was founded in 1878, incorporated in 1970, and is surrounded by agriculture.

It has undergone growth and many changes over the years, and today includes seasonal tourism by winter visitors to its traditionally agriculture-based economy.

There are facilities and activities for permanent residents as well, including Butterfield Park, a swimming pool, services for senior citizens, school, library, police and sheriff departments, businesses, a veterans group and other civic organizations.

Wellton also hosts several annual events, including the Tractor Rodeo that supports medical projects for the community, plus Pioneer Days, Tri-Valley celebrations to aid the ambulance service, and an old-fashioned Fourth of July.

A privately developed project, Coyote Wash, was created by the Glen Curtis family, starting with a nine-hole golf course in December 2003. The course was enlarged to 18 holes in 2006.

The golf course, complete with lakes, is only part of the project on 1,850 acres south of Wellton.

"Our facilities are open to the public," said Glen "Spike" Curtis, one of managers of Coyote Wash. "Recently, we added a golf pro, John Baas from Alabama, for our courses. He was the golf pro for the Yuma Golf and Country Club several years ago, and is married to the former Sandy Hodges of Yuma.

"We're adding shopping to Coyote Wash, some businesses already open - Shooters Saloon and Cantina, Quiznos, Jack in the Box, a realtor, insurance agency, medical entities and a grocery store.