Bullhead City Area History
The Bullhead City region, the tri-state area where Arizona, California, and Nevada meet, has a long history which is a result of and dependent upon its proximity to the Mighty Colorado River.
Long before modern day humans came to call this place home, wildlife and ancient peoples thrived here…even before the invention of air conditioning! Archaeological evidence places early human activity near Laughlin by Native American Yuman cultures like the Quechan, Piipaash, Mojave, Cocopah, Kumeyaay, Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai, and Paipai, collectively called Patayan, “ancestors”, dating back 3,000–4,000 years. The petroglyphs of Grapevine Canyon and more than 150 campsites identified by the National Park Service from Willow Beach (near Hoover Dam) to Pyramid Canyon (Davis Dam) show evidence of cultures which made sandals from yucca fiber, clay pots and hunting weapons with sharpened stone tips. They also adorned themselves with gypsum and sea shells.
Eventually, the Mojave and Hualapai tribes inhabited the lower Colorado basin. The Mojave, or Pipa Aha Macav (“People by the River”), planted extensive crops along the Colorado River and relied on the river for irrigation. They also engaged in extensive trade networks in the 19th century. The Mojave Indians, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, continue to live along the Colorado River today.
European contact began in 1540 with explorer Melchi Diaz. In 1776, Father Garces crossed the Colorado near Katherine’s Landing. In the mid-1800s miners and army personnel arrived, drawn by regional gold and silver discoveries.
In 1852 and for 50 years thereafter, steamboats were used as the fastest and safest way to travel from the tri-state area to Port Isabel in the Gulf of California. They delivered supplies to miners and returned to California loaded with precious metals. It cost a traveler $44 to sail from what is now Bullhead City south to the Gulf of California and then north to San Francisco.
Lt. Edward Beale, an American Naval officer, was hired in 1857 to survey a wagon road from Fort Smith, Ark. to the Colorado River. He established Fort Mohave on the East bank of the Colorado River near Bullhead City because relations between Native Americans and Pioneers en route to California were still strained at that time.
As part of his survey, Beale tested a caravan of 28 camels to use as pack animals while stationed in Fort Mojave. For a while the camels were used to deliver the mail throughout Mohave County.
William Harrison Hardy crossed the Colorado River in 1864. He established a river port and supply center on Cottonwood Island and operated the Colorado River Ferry. Hardy also founded Hardyville, the fore-runner to Bullhead City, and became the first postmaster in 1865.
Hardyville, was once the county seat for Mohave County and the port for steamboats to unload supplies for the booming mining district. With completion of the railroad to the Colorado River in 1883, and the crossing established at Topock and Needles, Hardyville quickly became little more than a faded relic.
Mines were abundant in the area and can still be seen today. The biggest was the Katherine Gold Mine. It became active in 1900 and closed in 1942. It produced over $12 million worth of ore. The mine and mill was able to process 300 tons of ore into 600 ounces of gold and silver in 24 hours. The mine and the surrounding area today carry the name of one of the miner‘s sisters.
Davis Dam began construction in 1942 but was halted during WWII and was completed in 1953. It was to bring flood control and power generation to the area. Lake Mohave, the reservoir created by Davis Dam extends 67 miles to the base of Hoover Dam and is 4 miles across at its widest point with a shoreline of over 150 miles!
It was the construction of Davis Dam in 1942 that sparked the birth of Bullhead City as we know it today because the construction workers for the dam needed a place to live. At that time, prior to being converted to a national park in 1982, Davis Camp consisted of 100 homes, a grocery store, a gas station, a post office, a recreation center with a swimming pool, two churches and several service buildings. It was named Bullhead City after the legendary rock formation “Bull’s Head Rock” in the river—now submerged beneath Lake Mohave.
In the 1950s – 1960s, the construction camp evolved into a fishing and recreation haven. Don Laughlin built the Riverside Resort in 1966 which brought a new type of recreation to the area.
After the dam’s completion in 1953, most residents left but Don Laughlin arrived in 1964 and he saw the potential of the area. He opened the Riverside Resort two years later. It could be argued that he is responsible for the revival of the area since so many of our citizens are employed by the casino and service industry which he brought here. Bullhead City and Laughlin now have a symbiotic relationship. Bullhead City became Arizona’s fastest-growing community in the 1980s and continues to expand today.
I encourage you to learn more about the interesting and resilient history of the forgotten forefathers and ancient cultures who saw the beauty in and relied on this land for their sustenance. Visit the Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery, the Fort Mohave ruins, the petroglyphs and geoglyphs left behind by the ancient peoples and the Colorado River Museum. Read up on William Hardy, Edward Beale, and Don Laughlin. They were amazing pioneers.
