BULLHEAD CITY
The Best of the Colorado River

Located on the Colorado River, near the spot where Arizona, Nevada and California meet, Bullhead City is a thriving community where striking scenic beauty provides the backdrop for a host of attractions and outdoor recreation activities.

Gold miners first began settling the area in the mid-1800s. The community now known as Bullhead City first began as Hardyville, when William Harrison Hardy began operating a ferry, trading post and inn on the Colorado River in 1864. A historical marker is located on the actual site, near the corner of Highway 95 and Plata Drive. The nearby Hardyville Pioneer Cemetery contains nearly two-dozen graves from the period. This piece of the area’s history is remembered each October during Bullhead City’s Hardyville Days celebration.

The modern beginnings of the city are tied to the construction of Davis Dam, which began in 1942, but had to be halted because World War II consumed necessary materials. One year after the war ended, construction resumed and the dam was completed in 1950. Davis Dam is named after the late Arthur Powell Davis, director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1914 until 1923. It provides hydroelectric power to cities throughout the Southwest, as well as controlling the Colorado River flows to prevent flooding and managing the water resources in the region.

Davis Dam construction workers and their families lived in a community at the foot of the dam called Davis Camp. Eventually, the town that sprang up to support the growing population was named Bullhead City after a rock island in the Colorado River that resembled the shoulders and head of a bull with large, curved horns. In time, the rock was submerged under the rising waters of Lake Mohave as they backed up behind Davis Dam in the early 1950s. In the 1960s, developers began advertising local subdivisions in the Southern California area and the retirement population began to grow. Bullhead City was incorporated in 1984 and the population has grown from just over 10,000 residents in 1980 to nearly 41,000 reported in 2007, with an estimated population of 75,000 in a 20-mile radius in 2008.

The Arizona Veterans Memorial stands nine feet high and 40 feet wide and displays the flags of Arizona, the United States and each branch of the armed services. The memorial exhibits 11 bronze plaques holding the names of more than 3,000 service men and women from the state of Arizona who were killed in all the wars and armed conflicts in the last 100 years. On each side of the curved memorial wall are giant bronze eagles surrounded by 50 stars, each representing one of the 50 states. The riverfront memorial park is open year-round and admission is free.

The Colorado River Valley is known across the Southwest as a year-round vacation paradise, offering a choice between the cold, fast-flowing Colorado River and the warm, smooth waters of Lake Mohave. Both are perfect for water sports such as boating, skiing, personal watercraft and sport fishing throughout the year. Fishing has always been one of the region’s claims to fame. Local fishing guides report catching striper in the 20 to 30 pound range almost daily and believe there are still even larger fish to be found in the Bullhead City area.

Regular special events like rodeos, a bluegrass festival, the annual River Regatta, an annual motorcycle rally, burro (not really) bar-b-que, chili cook-offs and festivals provide family friendly activities with a perfect climate for outdoor recreation all year long. A variety of lodging, dining and shopping experiences are offered by the area’s many businesses and gaming along with top-ranked entertainment are located just across the Colorado River in Laughlin, Nevada as well as on the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe’s reservation to the south. For a vacation long or short, Bullhead City is a hub for enjoying many interesting activities in the surrounding region. The area’s wide selection of accommodations — from campgrounds and RV parks to motels and full-service resort hotels with a total of more than 15,000 options — makes the Colorado River Valley a great vacation value.

FORT MOJAVE INDIAN TRIBE
Casinos, Recreation and Economic Development Along the Colorado River

The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe continues to move forward, bringing new economic opportunities to the tri-state area with the creation of new businesses, new jobs, residential communities, casino gaming and superior customer service. The Tribe relies on its rich culture and history to help structure the future of its people in an ever-changing world.

Mojave Indians are Pipa Aha Macav — “The People By The River.” Mojave culture traces the earthly origins of its people to Spirit Mountain, the highest peak in the Newberry Mountains, located northwest of the present reservation inside the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The Tribe’s spirit mentor, Mutavilya, created the Colorado River, its plants and animals, and instructed the Pipa Aha Macav in the arts of civilization. They were prosperous farmers with well-established villages and trade networks that stretched as far away as the Pacific Ocean.

With the ever-growing insurgence of non-Indian people to the region traditionally occupied by Pipa Aha Macav, a United States military outpost was established in 1859 on the east bank of the Colorado River to give safe passage to American immigrants traveling from east to west. Initially, this outpost was called Camp Colorado, but it was soon renamed Fort Mojave. After the military fort was closed in 1891, the buildings were transformed into a boarding school, which operated until 1930. Ruins of Fort Mojave still exist today as a reminder of the once-troubled historic relationship between Pipa Aha Macav and American civilization. The ruins are located on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River just south of the boundary of present-day Bullhead City.

The Fort Mojave Indian Tribe is a federally recognized sovereign Indian nation with 32,000 acres of land in Arizona, Nevada and California. The Tribe’s upbeat economy provides job opportunities for thousands of people through casino gaming, a championship golf course, agriculture, a tribal power company and generating station, residential subdivisions and a new indoor multi-use arena that is currently under construction.

Recreation opportunities abound, whether it is gambling at one of the two Tribal casinos on the reservation, boating or fishing along the Colorado River, staying at the Avi Resort & Casino’s full-service hotel, hitting the links at the Mojave Resort PGA Championship Golf Course or enjoying the comforts of home away from home in the RV parks, located adjacent to either casino. An annual Pow Wow each February brings Native Americans from tribes across the United States to a celebration that includes dance and music competitions and displays of many aspects of tribal culture. For information on the Tribe and its activities and attractions, call (760) 629-4591.

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