The Colorado River Museum

 Traveling along U.S. Route 95 in Bullhead City, one cannot help but notice the beautiful desert scenery that borders the east shoreline of the Colorado River.

Stop for a moment, and the sights and sounds of this desert community come alive. Walk to the edges of the crystal-blue waters of the Colorado to witness the majesty of the tall, lanky egrets making their way from river stone to river stone. Look up into the sky as a belted kingfisher slows its flapping while making a landing on the strong current of the river. Perhaps, there is a chance to see a pair of osprey spring into the air as a boat rushes close to the shore.

Colorado River looking north toward Davis Dam

The Colorado River in Bullhead City and the gambling mecca of Laughlin across the river is a magical experience. For nature lovers, it is a must. For desert historians, it is a destination.

This naturally carved water artery that begins 1,450 miles north of the Sea of Cortez, meanders - sometimes furiously- through seven states, ending in Arizona before entering Mexico and beyond.

I have traveled the 95 for decades, writing travel articles about this and that. Places that hum with activity and places that can no longer be found on maps. To me, that is one of the joys of traveling. To see places people love to visit and to witness places that people have never heard of or would think of traveling to.

Years ago, I wrote an article about Hardyville, present-day Bullhead City. Some of the folks I interviewed knew its history, some had never heard of it, even though there is a huge mural of Hardyville directly across U.S. Route 95 from the local Stater Bros. market.

U.S. Route 95 is not an interstate. There are stop lights, crosswalks, and pedestrians making their own non-guarded crossing lanes all through the town.

So, recently, while driving through Bullhead City, I decided to stop at the Colorado River Museum. I learned that it was not the Bullhead City Museum since it covered the entirety of the region. They like to share their history with Laughlin, across the river, Fort Mojave, south of Bullhead, Oatman to the southeast, and all points in between.

One of the many exterior displays on exhibit

I had meant to stop by for years. Those years slipped by like a wet noodle on a wet napkin. But I finally stopped, and was glad.

The two docents on duty were Carol and Ray. Both silver-haired, like me, and with that same flame of wanting to keep history alive.

Carol met me at the door and explained the purpose of the Colorado River Museum. “We want people, both locals and visitors, to understand the importance that this town and this river had.”

I nodded. That’s what I do.

The Colorado River is the dammedest in the United States. That is, there are 15 major dams along its waterways, as well as hundreds mixed in with the many tributaries.

There was a time when large barges and steamboats used to chug up and down the Colorado River from various places in present-day Arizona to the Gulf of Mexico, including Bullhead City.

Plaque outside of the Colorado River Museum

There is a great exhibit at the museum depicting the times and sorts of ships that made their way delivering goods for the ranches, farms, and mining towns that existed along the shores. Photos, letters, and delivery receipts adorn the walls near the exhibits. It is fascinating and sad at the same time. What if those dams had not been built? Would large boats still ply the waters of the Colorado River as in the old days?

Then again, dams bring hydroelectricity, which, if it were not available, cities like Las Vegas could not exist. And, you do not want to make Bugsy Segal mad.

An old one-armed bandit from the Riverside Casino

I wandered the museum, which is very well laid out and detailed in facts, and I was fascinated by what I learned.

For example, I did not know that the extremely prolific western writer, Louis L’Amour, who wrote over 100 books, actually worked at the Katherine Mine when he was 18 years old. Katherine Mine was named after the sister of S.C. Baggs, who discovered gold near present-day Bullhead City in 1900.

History of Loui's Lamour in the Colorado River Museum

The boating mecca, Katherine Landing, at Lake Mojave, is the same name for the same gal,

Wandering here and there, I learned a lot from the exhibits and from speaking with Ray and Carol - they are both founts of knowledge.

One-room schoolhouse built in 1946

Ray took me on a tour of the one-room schoolhouse located on the property that was built in 1946. Inside is a perfect replica of what a school day must have been like. Students sitting in their desks, at the ready to learn whatever the teacher in front of the class wanted them to learn, with all sorts of books, drawings, pictures, and American flags flying.

Just like today.

Docent Ray inside the one-room schoolhouse

The school was actually manually moved from where it was originally built, Ray informed me. “It was near Third Avenue, and about five or six years ago, it was moved totally intact without any damage.”

And I cannot move a refrigerator without marring the floor.

The school was only in use for approximately five years. “The town grew too quickly for a one-room schoolhouse.”

When the Davis Dam, just north of Bullhead City, was started in 1942, pausing during World War II, and finished in 1953, the area grew exponentially. Many of the workers and their families decided to stay in the warm climate of the Mojave Desert, along the glistening waters of the Colorado River.

Of course, in 1964, an entrepreneur named Don Laughlin flew over the area and believed a gambling haven might be a good bet.

John R Beyer standing alongside Don Laughlin,

He was right, and the population soared. I sat through a very interesting tale of how one man's dream helped forge two towns on opposite sides of a river that could benefit from each other.

A dreamer whose dreams paid off well.

The Colorado River Museum is a must when traveling near Laughlin, Bullhead City, or any of the nearby cities. It is stocked with artifacts from the mining period, exhibits of the ingenious people who lived there prior to settlers moving in, Davis Dam history, and anything else that a curious - and hopefully we all are- traveller would enjoy.

Enjoy the interior exhibits, the exterior exhibits, but just take a moment to stop and reflect on the history of a couple of towns built along the shores of the Colorado River.

You never know who you will meet at the museum

For more information:

https://coloradoriverhistoricalsociety.org/

John can be contacted at: beyersbyways@gmail.com

Condemned in Calico

Spooky Main Street at Calico Ghost Town

In October of 2020, USA Today Network published an article I wrote about the famous, or infamous, ghost town of Calico, just a few miles northeast of Barstow, California.

I generally create stories during the haunting month of October, about places that are supposedly haunted by goblins, spirits, floating orbs, and anything else that could make a person wonder - what the heck is going on here?

My column was entitled Haunted Calico. Not very original, but to the point, and what I learned was that there were lots of strange occurrences in that once fabulously rich silver town.

John R Beyer looking for goblins at Calico Ghost Town

In 2024, I was contacted by one of the writers, Jeff Belanger, from the hit Discovery television show, Ghost Adventures - the brainchild of Zak Bagans. Zak is a paranormal investigator who travels the world in search of answers in connection with anything that seems out of the norm - thus, paranormal. Jeff had read my article and discussed it with Zak, thus the reason for the contact with me.

Ghost Adventures has been the leading paranormal television series since 2008, garnering an estimated audience of over two million viewers per episode. That is saying a lot, considering how many networks are out searching for things that go bump in the night.

Belanger asked if I would like to participate in an episode dealing with Calico Ghost Town - it took me a hot second to agree. Laureen and I had been watching the television show on and off for years and thought it would be awesome to join the crew filming in one of our favorite western towns.

So, after donning black jeans, a black shirt, and a black cowboy hat, we headed out on Interstate 15 to the small town of Yermo and then headed north to Calico. The all-black outfit was suggested by Belanger since it would look better on camera, especially with a show that dealt with dark, mysterious goings-on. 

By the time we arrived, nearing dusk, the crew was already filming in town, and we were asked to wait just at the beginning of Main Street until I was needed on set. That was fine with us since there were snacks, chairs, and we got to watch all the hustling and bustling from the film crew moving here and there, getting ready for the night shots.

Film Crew setting up

One thing about me is that I am a skeptic, which came up a few times while discussing Calico and the paranormal activity with Bagans. Laureen, my lovely wife, feels things in this realm, as written about in previous articles and blogs, but me - I generally feel hungry or thirsty for a cold one.

The crew of Ghost Adventures are true believers. I can respect that, especially since they also go out of their way to debunk things and are not hesitant to state that during their shows.

“That wasn’t Casper,” Zak may state.

“No, I think it was a sheet that flew off a clothes line next door,” Aaron Goodwin, a paranormal investigator and co-host of the show, may point out.

Zak looking over notes

As we sat waiting for my turn to talk with Bagans, there was a gentleman who was a local paranormal expert waiting his turn, as well as a woman who told us that an entity had followed her family home after visiting Calico for a day.

I smiled and nodded at her.

John R Beyer and Laureen Beyer, waiting for call

One by one, the interviews were conducted, and finally, late in the evening, I was called up Main Street to the Lil’s Saloon, which had been set up for my discussion with the host.

As a technician was busy hiding a microphone on me, Aaron came over and introduced himself to Laureen and me. A rather tall balding guy with a beard who could not have been nicer.

John R Beyer and Aaron Goodwin on set for Ghost Adventures

“Just be yourself,” he said.

“That’s all he can be,” Laureen replied.

Aaron smiled. “That’s all we want.”

At that point, I was led into the saloon, which I had visited many times in the past, and there was the star of the show, Zak Bagans. He walked over, shook my hand, and thanked me for taking the time to talk with him for the episode.

Zak Bagans and John R Beyer on set for Ghost Adventures

He was very friendly, went over what we were going to talk about, and then we sat at opposite tables in the saloon, and the film crew went to work checking the sounds from both our microphones, lighting, and locations of cameras to ensure Zak looked better than me. After all, he is the star of the show, though I must admit I appeared rather dapper in my black outfit.

Film crew checking the lights and camera angles

With the cameras suddenly rolling, Zak introduced me, and then the questions began concerning all the hubbub about Calico being haunted.

The interview went on for about 20 minutes, and all the bases concerning Calico were covered. The 500 mineshafts, the murders, the tales of apparitions, the mention of people being pushed by unseen forces, and all the rest that makes this ghost town a must-see for anyone who relishes delving into the paranormal.

As I explained to Zak, I am a skeptic when it comes to the paranormal, but I have seen and felt things during all my travels in the hinterlands that I can not explain. 

I remember doing a story on the deserted town of Garlock, not far from Randsburg, and while eating lunch by myself near the remains of the ghost town, I swore I heard children playing. It was probably just the slight breeze mimicking the happy sounds children make while enjoying themselves.

Some of the remains at Garlock Ghost Town

Probably.

For both Laureen and me, meeting Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, Billy Tolley, and the rest of the crew was a wonderful experience and something we will not forget.

A personal thanks to Jeff Belanger for reaching out - and in my line of work, you never know who you will run into on the road or who will read my simple prose.

So, check out Ghost Adventures, Season 30, Episode 12, to learn more about the hauntings going on at Calico Ghost Town. Things are happening that can not be explained, and that is why the crew, led by Zak Bagans, decided to check it out.

For more information:

https://www.discovery.com/shows/ghost-adventures

https://thehauntedmuseum.com/

John can be reached at: beyersbyways@gmail.com

The Infamous but Gorgeous Watergate Hotel

On June 17th, 1972, a group of operatives working on the re-election campaign for President Richard M. Nixon got caught on the sixth floor of a large complex while setting up surveillance equipment. They had chosen to ‘bug’ the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the nation’s capital at the Watergate Hotel.

A bug in the surveillance world simply means one party wants to listen to another party without the second party knowing, while the first party does, and has everything recorded.

No one really knows where the term "to bug something" came from. There are many theories, and one is that when alarm systems became standard fare for businesses, burglars would refer to the place as being 'bugged,' as though the police were already there.

It doesn’t really matter where the term originated, since Room 214 at the Watergate had been bugged, and the operatives on June 17th were just going back to ensure their bugs would not be detected by the bigwigs running the Washington D.C. branch of the DNC.

Unfortunately for President Nixon, this issue at the Watergate Hotel would cost him the presidency, even though he won in a landslide victory in November of 1972, securing his second term in office. Due to the fallout from this break-in, which turned out to be an international tale of intrigue and conspiracy, he would have to resign from office in August of 1974.

This is where, throughout the years, fortunes have been made from coffee cups, t-shirts, flags, bumper stickers, which show President Nixon standing proudly with both hands raised and fingers flashing V’s, with the tag - I am Not a Crook.

I have to be honest, I don’t really recall any of this except for history lessons in school. Of course, I was around at the time, but being in high school, I was more interested in sports, girls, friends, and the like instead of following the goings-on in Washington, D.C. Heck, I wasn’t even close to voting age, so why should I care?

But as the decades slipped by and I became more of a history buff, I found the circumstances around the demise of a president’s reign mid-term - fascinating.

It was even more fascinating when Laureen, my lovely wife, and I were doing our typical ten-mile sauntering around Washington, D.C., a couple of years ago, and found ourselves standing in front of the infamous Watergate Hotel on Virginia Avenue.

“That’s the Watergate Hotel,” I said.

“I see that,” Laureen responded. “We weren’t even looking for it, and here it is.”

“I would call that a serendipitous bit of luck,” I said.

It was awesome to be standing in front of such a gorgeous hotel as the Watergate and realize the intrigue that had occurred here a short five decades ago.

Now, fast forward to the summer of 2025, and Laureen and I found ourselves staying at the very same Watergate Hotel.

The hotel sits just a couple of streets away from the beautiful, tree-lined Potomac River with majestic views from pretty much every room. It is referred to as a luxurious place to stay while visiting Washington D.C., and we found that to be true in every fashion.

The entire Watergate Complex, which housed business offices, shops, and the hotel itself, was built during the 1960s and designed by the famous Italian architect, Luigi Walter Moretti.

He had wanted this complex to mirror the gentle flowing of the Potomac River as it swept by below the bluffs where the Watergate was built. Moretti did a fantastic job as the building does seem to bend in a way like the river sweeping by the Wharf DC, which has tasty restaurants, night spots, and other venues to keep locals and tourists engaged.

The Top of the Gate is an open bar and restaurant allowing incredible views of Washington D.C. itself as well as the surrounding areas of Georgetown, Dupont Circle, and Foggy Bottom (I still chuckle typing that).

View from our room at the Watergate Hotel

I am not going to say we had a few drinks at the Top of the Gate while visiting Washington D.C. - but we did. The sunsets, the city lights in the distance, and a cold drink were what Congress would order if it had that sort of power.

Time to enjoy a cold beverage overlooking Washington D.C.

But, I was there not only to enjoy the ambiance but to find out what I could about this Watergate Scandal, as though there had not been enough written about it.

It was something to do with the tape that led investigators to locate and ultimately convict those involved in the break-in at the DNC, those being most famously E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy.

According to Aziz, the unofficial historian of the Watergate Hotel, it was a simple piece of sticky tape that did the burglars in. And, here I always thought it had to do with more subterfuge involving tape in a recorder.

“No,”  Aziz said. “It was a security guard at the time, Frank Wills, who first spotted a piece of tape across a door latch leading to the area where the burglary was taking place.”

That was news to me.

“In that manner, the doors leading to the DNC headquarters would not lock, thus giving anyone, the burglars, time to go in and out of the room. After removing the tape, Wills did another check an hour later and saw the tape had been replaced and then called the police.”

Aziz pointing to where the DNC Headquarters once were at the Watergate Complex

It turns out that most likely the bugging of the office would not have been discovered if the group doing the burglary had simply removed the tape from the latch when they finally left the office. They did not, and down came a presidency.

Now known as the Scandal Room, the room is set up as it would have looked on that fateful day in 1972. The furniture is retro 70’s, there are numerous photos and news clippings from the time, recording devices and typewriters that spell another time, and finally the balcony that overlooks the once DNC headquarters across from Room 214 in the complex.

Some of the equipment used during the scandal

Aziz showing off the Scandal Room from 1972

The history lesson of the Watergate Scandal was enlightening and frightening to think of what political parties, on both sides, are capable of doing - especially right in the nation's capital, practically under George Washington's nose.

But Watergate is not only known for that one infamous incident, but is also known for all the celebrities, past and present, who have made the Five Star Hotel home. Including Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Andy Warhol, Sammy Davis Jr., and a host of Hollywood types. And of course, those of us who just want to experience a 5 Star hotel while visiting the nation’s capital

For more information:

https://www.thewatergatehotel.com/

https://washington.org/

John can be contacted at - beyersbyways@gmail.com

Willow Beach - a great place for a respite

Willow  Beach Marina, Arizona

I first came across Willow Beach Marina years ago when powering northward on Lake Mojave from Catherine Landing in Bullhead City, Arizona.

It was one of those perfect early summer days when the temperature hadn’t reached cooking an egg on the asphalt hot and the skies promised to be crystal blue and cloudless.

So, untying my pontoon boat from the slip at Katherine Landing, my buddy Paul and I headed out for the roughly 50-mile trip across the deep blue waters of Lake Mojave. We would top off the fuel at Cottonwood Cove Marina, east of Searchlight, Nevada, before continuing on to Willow Beach Marina.

Paul wanted to see the marina, which he hadn’t seen in decades.

“It’s funky,” he said. “There’s a bar right on the water, which is a great place to grab a cold one.”

One thing he did not know was that the Willow Beach he remembered no longer existed as it once had.

The new and improved Willow Beach Marina and Store

Monsoonal floods happen along the Colorado River. In September of 1974, a massive wall of water crashed down El Dorado Canyon just ten miles south of Willow Beach, leaving nine people dead, and the small resort of Nelson Landing devastated. It was never rebuilt.

The National Park Service does its best to warn visitors of the dangers when sudden pop-up storms rise in the dry deserts near the Colorado River, and of how those storms can trigger life-threatening situations.

Please take heed

Willow Beach was founded in the 1940s by locals from Las Vegas as a small fishing and boating community. Even back then, the Park Service had warned about possible flooding down the steep canyons that reach into the Colorado River.

People, as people often do, shrugged their shoulders and realized that there are times when the rains and hard-packed desert sands don’t play well.

One person stated, “We know we live in a flood plain. It just goes with the territory.”

In 1992, a so-called 100-year storm caused a wave of water over 10 feet roaring down Jumbo Wash just 200 yards south of Willow Beach. Then again, in February of 1993, an unseasonal flash occurred, sending yet more torrents of rain, causing over a $100,000 damage to the area - destroying buildings, roadways, and other improvements.

But the continued ‘unusual’ storms occurred throughout the decades, causing so much damage to the Willow Beach Beach and Marina that it had to be rebuilt by the National Park Service.

It was no longer the ‘funky’ place Paul had remembered from years past. No, it looked like any other marina with plenty of slips, a fuel dock, restaurant, market, and a new and improved camping area.

Willow Beach parking and marina during the summer

So recently Laureen, my lovely wife, and I headed to Las Vegas for a few days and decided to take US 93 from Bullhead City to Sin City, while making a short detour at Willow Beach. 

Laureen Beyer enjoying the views from Willow Beach patio

The three-and-a-half-mile road from US 93 to the marina is narrow, twisty, and in need of some repair, in my opinion. In some spots, I would not want to maneuver our Bounder with a boat attached to the rear end - it would be very slow going and apt to upset the folks behind us.

But once we arrived at the marina, the winding road was a thing of the past. The views of the Colorado River were spectacular, with blue waters and towering cliffs both north and south of the marina.

The winter weather on this trip was a bit on the cooler side, but the sun was shining bright overhead, making it a bit more manageable.

We were surprised at how many folks were out and about on the wide sandy beaches and carrying kayaks of all sizes back and forth from the parking lot.

Visitors taking in the blue skies and blue waters at Willow Beach

The region is not only known for regular power boating, but paddling northward toward Hoover Dam, a mere 12 miles in kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards. A few miles south of the Hoover Dam is the marvelous natural destination of Emerald Cave.

Looking Northwest toward river running from Hoover Dam

People from all over the state and country visit this area to view the vibrant green water when sunlight strikes the walls of Black Canyon and then is reflected into the water, usually in the mid-afternoon. 

The cave was once a landmark for engineers to measure the water flow that ran past the Willow Beach Gauging Station, built in 1931.

Laureen and I watched as groups of people either paddled off separately toward Hoover Dam or joined paid tour groups to Emerald Cave.

They were wearing shorts and tank tops. Laureen and I both had on sweatshirts. We were not going on any tour that day.

The Willow Beach Harbor Marina and Camp Store lured Laureen in like a trout.

“I just want to see what they have,” she said.

In other words, my wallet may be a bit lighter when we left Willow Beach to head back toward Las Vegas.

Amazingly, after spending about ten minutes within the store, we left without purchasing anything but a simple magnet stating we had been to Willow Beach. It’s a habit that if we enter a store, we buy something, no matter how small, as a way to say thank you to the proprietor. 

“That was awesome,” I said.

“The store?” Laureen asked.

“That and the fact we still have enough cash for the rest of our trip.”

Being seasoned travelers, we had brought some snacks to enjoy while on the road, so I drove out of the parking lot and headed for the vista point a hundred or so feet above the marina.

John R Beyer at the overlook near Willow Beach, Arizona

The view was gorgeous as we sat quietly nibbling on salami, cheese, and crackers while taking in the majesty of the Colorado River both north and south of Willow Beach.

This sight hadn’t been available when Paul and I had boated to the Willow Beach Marina from the waters edge, and today I was glad for the short detour to take it all in.

“It’s beautiful,” Laureen said.

I simply nodded. Sometimes words can not compete with Mother Nature.

For more information: https://willowbeachharbor.com/

John can be reached at: beyersbyways@gmail.com