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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| One-room schoolhouse built in 1946 |
Just like today.
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| 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.
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| John R Beyer standing alongside Don Laughlin, |
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.
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| You never know who you will meet at the museum |
For more information:
https://coloradoriverhistoricalsociety.org/
John can be contacted at: beyersbyways@gmail.com
