BULLHEAD CITY: THE BEST OF THE COLORADO RIVER

	The Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce offers an official Arizona Visitor Center, meeting rooms and large convention and banquet facilities. It is located at the edge of the Colorado River at Bullhead Community Park.

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, and 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. The modern beginnings of the city are tied to the construction of Davis Dam, which began in 1942, but had to be halted because necessary construction materials were consumed by World War II. Construction resumed in 1946, a year after the war ended, 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.

Davis Camp offers Colorado River beaches, camping, an RV park and boat launch facilities a stone's throw from the glittering casinos across the river in Laughlin, Nevada.

The construction workers and their families lived in a community at the foot of the dam called Davis Camp, but 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. The Bullhead City post office was established in 1946, and 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 incorporated in 1984 and the population has grown from just over 10,000 residents in 1980 to nearly 40,000 reported in the 2000 census.

	The riverfront Arizona Veterans Memorial stands as a tribute to all the Arizonans who lost their lives in the wars and armed conflicts in the past 100 years.

Bullhead City is home to the Arizona Veterans Memorial, a riverfront park set aside to remember those Arizonans who lost their lives serving ourcountry in the last 100 years. The Arizona Veterans Memorial stands nine feet high and 40 feet wide and displays 11 bronze plaques carrying 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 United 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 warm, smooth waters of Lake Mohave. Both are perfect for water sports like boating, skiing, personal watercraft and sport fishing throughout the year.

Fishing has always been one of the region's claims to fame. The area held the world's record for the largest freshwater striped bass ever caught for more than 15 years. That lunker, landed in the early 1980s, was caught just south of Davis Dam and weighed in at more than 58 pounds. Local fishing guides report catching striper in the 20- to 30-pound range regularly and believe there are still even larger fish to be found in the Bullhead City area.

Davis Dam, at the northern end of Bullhead City, is an earthen dam with concrete spillway that holds back the 68-mile-long Lake Mohave, a haven for boaters and fishing enthusiasts year-round.

Regular special events like rodeos, a bluegrass festival, an annual motorcycle rally, powerboat races, chili cook-offs and community barbecues provide family-friendly activities, and the climate is perfect for outdoor recreation all year long. A variety of lodging, dining and shopping experiences are offered by the area's many businesses, and real Nevada casinos are located just across the Colorado River. 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 full-service resort hotels - makes the Colorado River Valley a great vacation value.

 

Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce & Official Arizona Visitor Center
1251 Highway 95 (at Bullhead Community Park)
Bullhead City, AZ 86429

(928) 754-4121
(800) 987-7457

 

 

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