Early Quartzsite

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Quartzsite's early history is marked by a series of false starts and brief settlements centered around short-lived stage coach lines and mines.

In 1855, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis made a proposal to Congress advocating the creation of a Camel Military Corps. Soon after, the army brought seventy-seven camels and a Syrian camel driving expert named Hadji Ali or "Hi Jolly" to the American Southwest to patrol the desert frontier. The Civil War, and Davis's defection to the South, undid the Corps' future. Hi Jolly later married a woman from Tucson and moved to the Quartzsite area where he worked as a miner until 1902 when he died.

From the early 1900's until 1960, the population of Quartzsite fluctuated erratically and was unable to organize itself into a self-sustaining system. By 1960, only 50 people lived in the town on a permanent basis. During winter months, however, the population could swell to 1,500 as visitors in campers arrived to escape the colder weather from other states. Many of these winter travelers returned annually and became immersed in the growing community.

Over time, members of the local community began to interact with these travelers and recognized them as a strong and growing market. They formed a loose organization called the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) and decided to create a gem and mineral show to encourage more winter travelers and to maximize their ability to sell to them.

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