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