2026 FAFM 17 - Q is for Quartzsite
Pip had to take a new approach for the letter Q.
There are a grand total of 29 cities in the United States that begin with the letter Q. So he decided to go with a fun sounding name and located Quartzsite, Arizona with a population of 2400.
Quartzsite's current location was the site of a waterhole from 1863 to the 1880s and was later a stage station, called Tyson's Wells, along the La Paz - Wikenburg Road on Tyson Wash, in what was then Yuma County, in the newly created Arizona Territory. It was about 20 miles from the Colorado River steamboat landing of La Paz and 25 miles from the landing of Erhenburg from 1866. The next stop was 25 miles to the east at Desert Station.
On the flipside of Internation Falls being the Icebox of the Nation, Quartzsite is one of the hottest places in the United States and has recorded temperatures as high as 122 °F or 50.0 °C on July 28, 1995. Rainfall is under 5 inches per year!
Quartzsite is a popular recreational vehicle camping area for winter visitors. The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, an annual gathering of vandwellers, takes place in January. Gem and mineral shows, swap meet shows are very popular tourist attractions, attracting about 1.5 million people annually.
Joanne's Gum Gallery in Quartzsite is a quirky and unique museum dedicated to gum wrappers collected since the 1940s. The collection, started by Joanne Brunet, features over 4,000 packs of gum displayed in 100 cases inside a small pink building behind her home. The museum operates by appointment only, so visitors should call ahead to ensure access.
2026 FAFM 17 - Q is for Quartzsite
Pip had to take a new approach for the letter Q.
There are a grand total of 29 cities in the United States that begin with the letter Q. So he decided to go with a fun sounding name and located Quartzsite, Arizona with a population of 2400.
Quartzsite's current location was the site of a waterhole from 1863 to the 1880s and was later a stage station, called Tyson's Wells, along the La Paz - Wikenburg Road on Tyson Wash, in what was then Yuma County, in the newly created Arizona Territory. It was about 20 miles from the Colorado River steamboat landing of La Paz and 25 miles from the landing of Erhenburg from 1866. The next stop was 25 miles to the east at Desert Station.
On the flipside of Internation Falls being the Icebox of the Nation, Quartzsite is one of the hottest places in the United States and has recorded temperatures as high as 122 °F or 50.0 °C on July 28, 1995. Rainfall is under 5 inches per year!
Quartzsite is a popular recreational vehicle camping area for winter visitors. The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous, an annual gathering of vandwellers, takes place in January. Gem and mineral shows, swap meet shows are very popular tourist attractions, attracting about 1.5 million people annually.
Joanne's Gum Gallery in Quartzsite is a quirky and unique museum dedicated to gum wrappers collected since the 1940s. The collection, started by Joanne Brunet, features over 4,000 packs of gum displayed in 100 cases inside a small pink building behind her home. The museum operates by appointment only, so visitors should call ahead to ensure access.