Mojave City, Arizona
Mohave City, Arizona | |
---|---|
MST (no DST) | |
Post Office opened | October 8, 1866 |
Post Office closed | October 31, 1938 |
GNIS feature ID | 25308 |
Mohave City (also spelled as Mojave City) is a ghost town in Mohave County in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Settled in the 1860s, in what was then the Arizona Territory, it was founded as a river landing and trading center for area miners and soldiers, and was named for Mohave County.[2]
History
Mohave City
Indian threats to miners on the southern portion of the
Mohave City served primarily as a recreation town and its saloons and brothels thrived, thanks to the ample supply of miners and soldiers.[2][3][4] By 1866, the town had grown large enough to become the county seat, and a post office was established on October 8, 1866.[2][4]
Unlike most ghost towns in Arizona, which were abandoned due to the local mine running out, Mohave City was short-lived for a different reason. Fort Mohave expanded its borders to include the town site in 1869, mostly to get rid of it. In the fall of 1869, the military demanded that all civilians leave within 30 days, and proceeded to absorb the town's land. Many residents packed up their homes and businesses, and moved on to new locations but others remained as did the post office.[2][3][4]
Hardyville
The steamboat landing and freighting town of
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 159 | — | |
1900 | 30 | — | |
1910 | 175 | 483.3% | |
Source:[7] |
Fort Mohave−Mohave City
After the assumption of the land by the military, the town was referred to interchangeably as Fort Mohave or Mohave City.
In 1890, the government gave the Fort Mohave land to the Indian Service by order of President Benjamin Harrison. Shortly thereafter, the buildings came to be used as a school for the local Indian population, housing as many as 200 students. The school closed and the buildings were given up by the Indian Service in 1935,[9] and on October 31, 1938, the post office was discontinued.[2] From that point onward, the land has been part of the Fort Mojave Indian Reservation.[9]
Remnants
Today, nothing remains of the fort, or the original buildings of Mohave City.[2]
Geography
Mohave City was located at approximately 35°02′24″N 114°37′23″W / 35.04000°N 114.62306°W (35.0444453, -114.6230214)[1] on the bank of the Colorado River, 10 miles (16 km) south of Bullhead City.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mojave City
- ^ ISBN 0-8061-0843-6.
- ^ ISBN 0-87417-565-8. Retrieved September 10, 2009.
- ^ ISBN 1-930193-28-9. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ Richard E. Lingenfelter, Steamboats on the Colorado River, 1852-1916, University of Arizona Press, Tucson, 1978
- ^ Dreyfuss, John J. (January 1, 1972). A history of Arizona's counties and courthouses. Arizona: National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Arizona. p. 37. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
- ISBN 0-8108-3033-7.
- ISBN 0-87417-565-8. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ a b "Area Information: Our Past". Mohave Valley Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
External links
- Mohave City at Ghosttowns.com
- Mohave County history and time line.