A Little History About The Area

William Harrison Hardy was one of the first men to call this area his home in the 1860s. Back then, it was called Hardyville. The founder of Hardyville was a colorful figure who tried any kind of enterprise. He was a postmaster, county supervisor and a member of the Territorial Legislature. At the turn of the century, mining activities pushed away from the Colorado River and Hardyville. When a railroad was constructed from Needles through Yucca to Kingman and farther, Hardyville was abandoned and became a ghost town. Now only a cemetery marks Hardyville's existence. But Hardyville would be resurrected, as Bullhead City, with the coming of Davis Dam. Bullhead City was named for Bull's Head Rock, an old landmark located along the Colorado River. In the years of steamboat travel up the river, it was used as a navigation point. As the waters rose behind Davis Dam, creating Lake Mohave, Bull's Head Rock was gradually covered, with only a small, undistinguishable part of it remaining uncovered.

Spanish explorer, Melchlor Diaz, discovered this area in 1540, years before Mayflower landed on the East Coast. And, in 1776, Father Garces crossed the Colorado River here, nearly a month before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

From 1852 to 1909, steamboats made regular trips up the Colorado River from Port Isabel in the Gulf of California. These sternwheeler river boats played an important part in the early development of the areas bordering the Colorado River.

In October, 1857, a caravan of 28 camels crossed the Colorado River below the present Bullhead City. Lieutenant Edward F. Beale was testing camels for desert travel for the War Department. With him was Hi-Jolly, a trained camel handler from Asis Minor.

The site for Davis Dam was selected in 1902, but construction did not start until 1942. It was discontinued in December of that year due to the war. Construction resumed in April, 1946, and the dam was completed in 1953.

The Katherine Gold Mine just north of Bullhead City was discovered in 1900 and operated intermittently until 1930. The mine and, subsequently, the surrounding area, was named for the sister of one of the discoverers.

Of course, the success of Laughlin, Nevada, helped spur much of the growth in the area. Bullhead City was incorporated on Aug. 28, 1984.

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The Good Life in Fort Mojave and Mojave Valley

Originally established in 1859 as a fort on the Colorado River to insure safe passage of emigrants through the region, little remains of the original site of Fort Mojave today other than some cement sidewalks and irrigation ditches and the remnants of a rotting stump in the old parade grounds where the flag pole use to stand.

What has replaced the old fort are the thriving communities of Fort Mojave and Mohave Valley, located on Arizona Highway 95 in the beautiful Colorado River Basin on the western edge of central Mohave County. The sun rises over the majestic Black Mountains, our eastern boundary, and sets over the Colorado River, the western boundary of Mohave Valley, Mohave County and the state of Arizona.

Needles, founded in 1883, is one of the oldest living communities on the Colorado River, rich in history and promise for the future.

The fabric of it's past is intricately woven of influences of the river, the railroad, Old Trails Highway (later Route 66), the Mojave Indian Tribe, and pre-history - evidence of which abounds on the land. Perhaps most of all it has been influenced by its climate... hot summers offset by mild and wonderful winters.

A backward glance into the misty past is necessary to set the stage for defining Needles as a unique community and for relating how she happened to be founded in the first place.

Mojave Indians lived in this valley long before white people ever set foot on the land. Descendents of these early people still live here today and are called the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. How long the Mojave’s were in residence here is not known but the archaeological record shows that early people were here thousands of years ago. Ancient petroglyphs, pictographs, intaglios, old trails and stone work sites bear witness of those who came before us. These features are of much interest to historians both local and throughout the world, and they especially intrigue the interest of visitors.

Arrival of the railroad at the Colorado River in 1883 actually caused the founding of the town. The new settlement was named "The Needles", a namesake of the sharp peaks at the southerly end of the valley. The peaks themselves had been named by Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple when he started the whole thing by heading the government survey for a railroad in 1854. The first bridge across this part of the Colorado River was built about 1883, and often washed away. The railroad was rerouted to Topock, and the Old Red Rock Cantilever Bridge was built in 1890. At first people mostly traveled to and from Needles by rail, then Old Trails Highway, later called Route 66, came into being. Its approximate route is now followed by Interstate 40. A group of local citizens worked hard to keep the freeway from missing Needles for many years, and their work contributed greatly to the town's future. Some of the significant events affecting the town have been the building of the dams along the Colorado River and dredging of the river by the Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1950s, ending the long history of flooding from "hill to hill" each spring. Dredging drained the valley lands so they became suitable for agriculture and housing. The water became clear and suitable for recreation. Thus, two new industries came to the valley, agriculture and recreation. Needles has also been the scene of two major military maneuvers, General Patton's Army during World War II, and Desert Strike maneuvers in the mid- 1960s.

Today Needles provides many attractions to its winter and summer visitors. The East Mojave National Scenic Area offers a vast variety of desert scenes and wildlife. The Colorado River has some of the finest boating and fishing possibilities found anywhere. The Needles Municipal Golf Course, which overlooks the river, is a professional 18 hole course with a driving range, golf carts and pro shop. The Topock Gorge and Havasu Wildlife Refuge area can provide hours of enjoyment. The City of Needles, due to our smog-free desert environment, the attraction of the Colorado River as a recreation/resort area, our warm year round climate and especially the friendly residents, is the place to be!

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